Wouldn't It Be Good To Be In Your Shoes
by MAC Reynolds
Summary: A fluffy/angsty but fun, sarcastic ride back to the '80s, in flashback form, with an original companion and original villains. Comes with soundtrack, and takes place between "Journey's End" and the 2008 Christmas special. My first fan fic; please review!
1. Gypsy

**The Present Day**

Somewhere, on some distant planet, it was morning. But then again, it was always morning when the blue box floated in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Sunlight trickled in through the roof.

And she couldn't see it. She couldn't feel it. But the Doctor was compelled by something inside him to "wake" what was left of Michelle Reynolds, and to have the dawn greet her essence.

"Welcome to the new day, friend." On the viewscreen of the TARDIS's control panel, a face appeared. It was nothing special, a plump, pale-skinned girl with choppy curls of blonde hair and green eyes. She remained stonyfaced.

The Doctor had never been one specifically to care about looks. It was more about the personality. That was gone now...mostly. She could not answer him back. He could only bring her to life so much, and only in certain ways. Now, he needed to fulfill a promise.

He flicked the sonic screwdriver through a database of millions of songs and was stuck on which one to choose, when suddenly a voice called to him, "Doctor?" Startled, he dropped the screwdriver and glanced at the screen.

"No...it can't be. You're not in there...are you?" The two hearts beat wildly in his chest. The eyes on the screen were shining and hopeful.

"Will you dance with me, Doctor?"

Hope flooded through him. "Oh, you stylish thing, you! 'Cor, I haven't had a decent conversation in weeks!"

"Will you dance with me, Doctor?"

"Patience, Michelle, there'll be time for Charleston contests later. Right now we have to get you out of there..." He began to shuffle the controls.

"Will you dance with me, Doctor?"

The Doctor froze. All hope or belief that had been within him sunk. Michelle's brain pattern was literally in the computer, the TARDIS being one giant neural net for what was left of her mind, as there was absolutely no body left to sustain it. At least, not anymore. Not after she had thrown herself onto the energy discharge to save him.

In life, it would have been as if Michelle lay in a hospital bed, a vegetable unable to speak or breathe on her own. However, her brain had fused with the linkage of the TARDIS computer. This situation was similar to that of the Data Ghosts encountered in the "biggest library in the universe," but this would not be a short-lived consciousness. The Doctor would have to provide the stimulation for her, as no CAL existed within the TARDIS to make a simulated life for Michelle Reynolds. She could only be activated when and if he chose.

The Doctor quietly lifted the screwdriver off the ground, and clicked it against his teeth. "Merely an echo, of course," he mumbled to himself. "You can't talk to or dance with an echo." He began the database review again.

Examining the music list, he said, "I know you loved it, Michelle, but I can't have anything so synthetic and raucous at the moment. We'll slow things down a bit. And...I will do my best to make sure you are comfortable. Keep my promise."

Under the letter F, he had located the eclectic band Fleetwood Mac. "What about 'Gypsy'? Ah yes, that is certainly a old chestnut." He smiled in spite of himself, and with the screwdriver, dragged the tiny image of the brain in the left hand corner until it had merged with the title of the song.

And so the video began, of Stevie Nicks dancing before a mirror, with Lindsey Buckingham at an elegant 1930's nightclub, in a mystical forest, and wrapped in a shawl as she strode down a street of the Great Depression. But it was Michelle's face instead, and he was in place of Lindsey Buckingham.

_So I'm back to the velvet underground_

Back to the floor  
that I love.  
To a room with some lace and paper flowers

Back to the gypsy that I was  
to the gypsy that I was.  
And it all comes down to you  
well  
you know that it does.  
Well  
lightning strikes  
maybe once  
maybe twice -  
Ah  
and it lights up the night  
and you see your gypsy

You see your gypsy.  
To the gypsy that remains faces freedom with a little fear.  
I have no fear  
I have only love.  
And if I was a child and the child was enough

Enough for me to love  
enough to love.  
She is dancing away from me now  
she was just a wish

She was just a wish and a memory is all that is left for you now.  
You see your gypsy  
oh  
you see your gypsy.  
Lightning strikes  
maybe once  
maybe twice  
And it all comes down to you.  
Lightning strikes  
maybe once,maybe twice . . .

When it was over, the Doctor managed, "You wanted to avoid clichés, I know, but I thought it was fitting." And in spite of himself, tears sprang to his eyes. "I wish you hadn't...I can't..." Remembering what she had to him about herself earlier, "No one cries for me. If they do, they ought to be slapped..." But he was weeping now, and she wasn't there to chastise him, so he let the tears fall. Racked with sobs over companions lost and now the latest, Michelle, he was half bent over the console until the controls were awash with saline.

After a minute or two, he mentally steeled himself and tried to remain firm. This was not an existence for her. Though it was what she wanted, and the little brain pattern on the screen showed endorphins were firing at a high rate, indicating happiness, it wasn't true happiness. It would be better to just put her onto a hard disk somewhere, where he wouldn't have to face her.

He slowly reached within a panel on the wall to twist some wires, and then remembered something. River Song's sonic screwdriver from the future. What if he could modify his to be like the one she carried, which had held a Lux Industries' communication device, and then get it to interface with the TARDIS? It wouldn't bring the simulated life, like the CAL computer, but it could bring consciousness!

Inside, his morality fought him. _It's not right. You can't bring someone to life just because you're lonely. It would be no existence, she could never leave the computer, and how would she understand? But she was here for a reason, she never accomplished her goal, and it's my fault..._

The Doctor knew that sooner or later, he would have to make a decision.


	2. 1999

As he agonized over his decision, the Doctor thought back and reminisced about the absolutely bizarre way in which he had first encountered Michelle Reynolds.

*****

**The Recent Past**

It was one of those days in the TARDIS, as the Doctor experimented with Heisenberg's uncertainty principles, when the ship made a strange noise. The sound it made was almost like the beginning of a song. There was a pause, and then the same five notes repeated themselves.

The Doctor peered at the engine over top of his glasses. "Since when have you had an affinity for the music of Prince?" he asked the TARDIS. There was no reply. Nearby, a device gurgled air bubbles through the water inside. Shaking his head at the TARDIS having yet another attention-deficit-disorder moment, the Doctor went back to his work. It was not unusual for the TARDIS to have a mind of its own.

A few minutes passed in silence, and the Doctor had almost made a breakthrough, when there was a flash of pink light and a "whoosh" noise. Surprised as hell, the Doctor snapped, "How is it that I keep getting bothered by these interruptions? Honestly! Every bloody temporal hiccup and it's like the universe sneezes in my face...uh, hello?"

There was a shadow on the floor. The Doctor looked past the engine and his jaw dropped. "Can I help you?" Just in his field of vision was a woman in her mid 20's, holding a suitcase. She was no picture to look at, probably 250 pounds or such, and was dressed absolutely outlandishly. Her strawberry blonde hair was stuck up in feathered, spiky curls, and she wore a red leather double breasted woman's jacket with a belted mini-skirt the same shade. Her boots were also the same color. Gold hoop earrings adorned her ears, and she appeared to have on powder blue eyeshadow. There was a strange red stone suspended around her neck in a gold chain, one that seemed to pulsate with a life of its own.

The woman looked at him and crowed exultantly, "Yes!!! I made it!!!"

"What?"

Her accent was American, and sounded Midwestern, like that of Captain Jack Harkness. The nasality was much more noticeable in this woman. "I made it to the 1980's, obviously!" She dropped her suitcase and clapped her hands a couple of times. "Oh, you fit right in. Hair like that from A Flock of Seagulls...clothes from Phil Collins...you are just too cute!"

The Doctor was still royally confused. "What?"

The woman shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Not much of a talker, are you? Oh well, it doesn't matter. It's time to dance. Let's party like it's 1999, baby!!" With a wider stride, she went to take a step, forgetting that the leather mini-skirt didn't allow for much give when walking...and toppled right over.

The Doctor rushed to her side. "Are you all right? There's kind of a step there, it drops off just slightly..."

The woman sighed in annoyance. "I noticed, duh! Now shut up and let's get to dancing. I just fell, that's all."

The Doctor smiled wryly. "Not going to wonder why there aren't any others here?"

The woman looked at him as if he was insane. "I don't know, the sci-fi decor scared everyone off?"

"That's because this isn't a dance club."

The woman looked around. "So this isn't Club Marionette, circa 1984?"

"I'm afraid not."

Now the woman looked up at him, wondering if she had been transported into a serial killer's hideout or something similar. "Then...where am I?"

The Doctor hesitated, then said, "You're in a TARDIS."

******

SLAP! What he had definitely not expected was the crack across the face she gave him. "I am not retarded! Wow, you're a really classy individual, using derogatory terms toward women like that!"

He rubbed his jaw. "Yowza. If you were listening, you would hear I said 'TARDIS'. It stands for Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space."

The woman stopped. "I'm in a space ship?" She glowered at the stone pendant she was wearing and held it in her hand. "Whole lot of good you did, Stonehenge find! You were supposed to take me back to the 1980's! To escape from lousy 2008, remember?"

She stood up and started walking away from the Doctor, albeit wobbling slight in the hideous boots. "I can't believe it...I bought the clothes, had the records...I was all ready to start my life over. And now, I end up in this piece of crap."

The Doctor was insulted. "This is my home, thank you very much. And...well, at least the way you know it, it's 2008."

The woman scoffed. "Yeah, well, it looks like a lousy disco to me. I don't see anything 'space-y' about this place. I'm off." She grabbed her suitcase, headed for the door, and opened it...only to find herself staring out into a gaseous nebula dotted with stars.

*****

The scream she gave would have pierced the ears of any poor innocent man, but the Doctor was used to it, after his time with Donna Noble. She slammed the door shut and stared at him, wide eyed. "That's...that's space out there!"

The Doctor nodded cautiously. "Yes, this is the Milky Way galaxy. I did say you were in a TARDIS, after all."

The woman was starting to visibly sweat. "But I just thought you were joking...some random gay guy living alone with too much time on his hands, so he decorates his pad with cheesy sci-fi related things."

The Doctor burst out laughing. "No, no...I'm not gay, though I do live alone."

The woman gave him a suspicious look. "So...do you have a name?"

He thrust his hands into his pockets. "They call me the Doctor."

She waited for him to say more. When he didn't, she wryly stated, "So what's the rest of it? Is it Doctor Love? 'Doctor, Doctor' by the Thompson Twins?"

"No. Just the Doctor. And what do they call you, Earth girl?"

She threw off her jacket, revealing a sweater underneath. "I tend to go by Michelle Reynolds. At least, that's the name my parents gave me...Doctor."

Michelle walked slowly up to the Doctor, and gave him the once over with her eyes. "Did you just call me 'Earth girl'? If you did, that gives me an excuse to call you 'Earth boy.'"

The Doctor gave a mysterious smile. "But that wouldn't be accurate. I'm not human."

Michelle laughed, skeptically. "Sure you are. Look at you. You're as human as they come."

"Not in the slightest. Though...I do have a half human version of myself gallivanting about in another dimension, but that doesn't really count."

Michelle folded her arms. "I don't believe you. Prove it."

The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket. "Simple enough." Michelle tensed until he withdrew a stethoscope, and handed it in her direction. She looked at him uncertainly.

"Take it. I promise I won't hurt you."

With nervous hands, she placed the stethoscope in her ears and watched the Doctor unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt. "What am I listening for?"

"You'll know it when you hear it."

****

She placed the stethoscope against the right side of his chest. There it was, a clear, solid heartbeat. Michelle frowned. "This is kind of creepy. Can we be done with this now?"

"Not quite." He looked pointedly at the left side of his chest. As if in slow motion, she moved the stethoscope to the left side...and got a second heartbeat.

Michelle jumped back several feet. "No!"

"Oh, yes."

_"No!"_

"Oh, yes."

"Seriously, I mean _no!_"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You have a time-traveling stone and the existence of an alien surprises you?"

Michelle clapped her hands excitedly. "No, not at all! It's just that you have Two Hearts, like the Phil Collins song, and you dress like Phil Collins, so now I know you have a connection to Phil Collins!!"

The Doctor sighed. It was going to be a long time explaining the truth to this one.


	3. 2 Hearts Don't Lose My Number

The Doctor admitted, "Okay, it's a coincidence about the clothes and the anatomy, and the song, but I can promise you that it's nothing _but_ that..."

Michelle was dismissive. "I think you're a Phil Collins fan. But so am I. And perhaps you are a freak of nature." She paused. "So am I, now that I think about it."

The Doctor could only shrug. "I've been called worse." He shoved his hands in his pockets and whistled innocently. "So, where did you say that stone came from?"

Michelle pulled the golden chain with the red rock over her head, and handed it to the Doctor. "Knock yourself out. Not like it works, anyway."

The Doctor put on his glasses and took a closer look. "Gonna need to know more than that, Michelle. You're not supposed to have one of these to begin with. It's very dangerous for people to be shifting back and forth in the space/time continuum. Regular people, anyway."

Michelle glared. "And who are you to be telling me what's okay to do and not to do? Until you have some official title like, I don't know, Lord of Time, I really don't have a big need to listen to you, now do I?"

The Doctor suddenly announced, "Bing-o!" It was a very singsong fashion. He had pulled a magnifying attachment out from the wall.

She wasn't sure if it was directed at her, but Michelle noticed a particularly affirmative tone in his voice. She tossed her hands into the air. "So now you're not just an alien, but a time traveler as well?"

"A double whammy, that's for sure!" the Doctor said joyfully. His nose was gigantic behind the magnifier.

"But...you're a skinny white boy with glasses!" Michelle protested.

"Yup!"

"And you have a delightfully nice butt," she added, sure he wasn't listening at this point.

"No pinching, I'm quite ticklish. And you were the same skin color, last time I checked?"

Michelle was puzzled. This Doctor wasn't put off by her grouchy attitude. It almost seemed like it was a challenge that he enjoyed tackling. "You know, you are really pissing me off, Doctor Who, what, where, when or why!"

"Been told that lots too. Why don't you pick one out? The name, I mean. At least one that you can understand. Try Doctor Who on for size...that would look nice on a business card, no?"

Michelle sighed, defeated. "D.W. works for me, then. Wait...no, I prefer Spaz. It fits you much better."

The Doctor blanched at the term. "Ouch. You're lucky I know that such a word is harmless in the American culture...in England it'd be quite insulting. But I guess you mean I'm hyperactive, in a sort of way. Do I really come across like that? Like I can't shut up unless I'm really hard pressed to do so?"

Michelle interrupted, "Um, I believe that your issue is too much sugar and caffeine in your diet. Try less of it. This might help your...prattling issues." She went over and sat down, giving him a suspicious glance. "So when do I get to take my stone and leave?"

"I'm afraid you can't. As I said, humans can't go messing around with the space/time continuum. You might let slip something about the Internet, or medical advances...even stating who is to take home the very first MTV award could have dire consequences."

Michelle laughed mirthlessly. "Of course. But it's how my life works, you see. I don't get to do anything that would really make me happy." She bitterly reached over and picked up a strange object that was the length of a pen. It had a blue cabochon stone at one end.

_Nice laser pointer_, she thought. Absentmindedly she aimed it at the wall and pressed a button, wanting to see what color of light would appear.

BLAM! There was a weird sound, a puff of smoke, sparks, and a quarter-sized hole appeared in the wall. Michelle screamed and flung the object as far away as possible. It rolled right into the Doctor's outstretched hand.

He gave Michelle a disapproving look. "Please don't blast holes in my TARDIS--that's a sonic screwdriver, by the way. Think of this place as a museum...look, but don't touch." The Doctor squinted and looked at something over Michelle's shoulder. "Oh dear...you got a reflective beam from that one. I smell burnt plastic. That's going to make things rather difficult, isn't it?"

Michelle looked in the same direction and gave a cry of dismay. "My stuff!" Where the suitcase had been was nothing but a stinking, gloppy puddle. "All I had was in there!"

"Great shame," murmured the Doctor. "I think I've found your problem here."

Michelle snapped, "My problem is that you have ADD and you are really out of touch with reality!"

"Nawwwww! Don't be silly! Reality is...relative." He beckoned Michelle over. "See this? It's why your stone didn't work. Got an awful crack in it. It needs to have an entirely unbroken form. Otherwise, the ionic bonds can't sustain the temporal energy and the portal opens in the nearest 'pure' time source. In your case, my TARDIS."

The Doctor pulled off his glasses and looked at Michelle. "And how did you say you came by this again?"

Michelle wrung her hands. "I didn't...find it, per se. More like it found me."

"Come again?"

Michelle sat down next to the Doctor. "I was in college. Myself and some fellow students had pooled our money to take a trip to Europe. We were on the Stonehenge stop when I heard...no, it was more like felt this melody inside my head." A haunted gaze came over her face.

The Doctor frowned, a disturbed look in his eye. "You heard it in your mind?"

"Yes...a sort of empty, longing tune. I can't describe it other than it was like it came out of nowhere. I felt compelled to head over in the direction where it seemed like the song was coming from. You know, it was winter, and I had this big noisy coat on, and I thought for sure I would have gotten caught..."

"Go on."

"But toward the time the site was closing, I managed to sneak behind the barrier and near the stone circle. Using only my fingers, through some sort of superhuman strength, I was able to dig in the frozen ground and locate the stone just a few inches under the surface of the base of one of the dolmens."

The Doctor muttered, "That makes sense. Many tons of rock on this small stone put the fissure in the center."

Michelle let out a shuddering breath. "Long story short, I found it, and I figured out how to use it. I brought it home, and discovered that if I concentrated hard enough, I could send myself to whatever time in history I wanted."

With a sudden harshness, the Doctor put his hand roughly on Michelle's shoulder and demanded, "Where has it taken you? I need to know, right now!"

Michelle stammered, "N-nowhere, just a few minutes or days into the past! This will be the first time I've tried to go back years!"

The Doctor slammed his palm on the console in frustration. "Damn! You would get yourself in trouble this way!" He shook his head in disbelief. "No, no, this won't do at all!"

Michelle protested, "What are you talking about? Am I missing something here? Or are you just being a jerk?"

The Doctor seemed to calm at this statement. He held up the stone to Michelle's face. "This," he said, emphasizing every word, "is a Jewel of the Kedron. You absolutely cannot have one of these in your possession." He thought for a brief moment. "Yes, that's it...the planet was destroyed billions of years ago, before Earth was formed, and the piece drifted through space and landed on the Earth. Michelle, if you are discovered to have one of these on your person, it means death."

Michelle went white. "For me???"

"Not just you, but your whole planet. The human race."

She shrieked, "Who are these Kedron? What do they want with me?"

The Doctor said grimly, "If we're lucky, nothing just yet. They shouldn't be able to detect the Jewel until it gets heavy, regular usage. We may have escaped their sensors, but we've got to keep the stone in a constant state of temporal flux. It will be harder for them to find it that way. This should help." He opened a small door, inside which was nothing but green, swirling light.

"What the hell is that?"

The Doctor shoved the pendant into the center of the phenomenon, and quickly closed the door. "I could be dramatic and say it is the heart of my ship, but it's really just the engine compartment."

The Doctor stood up. "The Kedron are a powerful, ancient race. They, like my ship, exist in a state of temporal flux. They came from a world far at the end of the Andromeda galaxy."

Michelle glared. "They ought to have stayed there, then."

"Oh, believe me, they would have, if they hadn't wound up destroying their own planet from constant bickering and war. The pieces of Kedron scattered far and wide. It would have killed them all, but some escaped. And the story goes that the surviving Kedron believe that if they are able to recover enough original pieces of their planet, they will be able to rebuild their home world."

Michelle spoke to the Doctor slowly, as though he were an idiot. "And that stone is a piece of the Kedron planet. So give it back to them, let them build Kedron again, and we're all good. There's no problem, right?"

"I wish it were that simple. You see, the Kedron didn't evolve the same way my race did. The temporal existence scrambled their brains. They're all completely mad."

Michelle looked aghast. "And they blame everything and everyone, except themselves, for the ruination of Kedron, and will kill anything that has a piece of the planet, right?"

"Cor, you're good! How did you know?"

Michelle shouted angrily, "All I wanted to do was go back to the 1980's! It shouldn't be this complicated!" She ran to the corner, where the TARDIS wall morphed into an opening for a bedroom. Michelle threw herself into the makeshift bed and hid beneath the covers.

The Doctor followed her. "Oh, come on! You can't go to sleep now! The sun's out!"

Michelle poked her head out from under the blanket. "I'm not sleeping. I'm sulking, Time Dude. And in case you hadn't noticed, this is the middle of space. The sun is always out."

"Well, in this part of the galaxy anyway, that's true. You coming out, or are you going to stay under there like an infant human?"

"I _am_ human, and I'll act however I damn well please." She pulled the blankets over her head again.

The Doctor whistled cheerfully, and grabbed a silvery-colored ball from somewhere on the console. He began to toss it so it would hit the edge of the cot near Michelle's head, and so that it bounced back into his hand.

Thunk... "Quit!"

Thunk... "Knock it off, you might hit me!"

Thunk... "I said _quit_, you spaz!" Her head appeared again. "My God, you are a pain in the arse. There, you've got my attention. What do you want?"

"So, the 1980's...why then? I mean, the fashions were bloody fantastic, I agree, but what about that time period appeals to you?"

Michelle looked thoughtful. "Erm...the pop culture, I guess. I love the music and the movies. It was so much...happier then than it is now. Not filled with whiny teenagers and punk bands that pretend to stand for something when all they want is money. I belong there. I want to be happy for a change."

"What was that about whiny teenagers?"

"I'm 26, thank you! And I told you, I fit in there. I want to be happy."

The Doctor shook his head. "You can't go back there on your own, you know."

Michelle glared. "You've only told me that a thousand times. Now, space dude, will you send me back home, so I can get on with my life and pretend this never happened?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I could do that, sure...or there's another option."

She rolled her eyes. "What's your damn option?"

He looked at her encouragingly. "You could come with me, if you wish."

Michelle gave him a look for a moment, then burst into uncontrollable laughter. "HA HA HA HA HA!! Travel with the nerd in the phone booth! That's hilarious!"

The Doctor frowned. "Still don't believe me then? Well, I guess I've got to prove it some way." He took the screwdriver and flipped through several options on the video screen. "This is a good one. How about this? Ahem." He cleared his throat and recited, "If I could walk on water...if I could find some way to prove...if I could walk on water would you believe in me?"

There was a gentle rush of air. Michelle had thrown off the blanket and was standing up now, out of the bed. She gave him a curious look. "Eddie Money lyrics?"

"The same. Convinced yet?"

Michelle folded her arms. "No...are you any good at word association?"

"Try me."

She said carefully, "High Noon...Shane...Once Upon a Time in the West." There was a pause. "3:10 to Yuma."

The Doctor inquired, with a smile on his face, "The Alamo?"

"The Wild Bunch...The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance."

"Fistful of Dollars. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

"Clint Eastwood!"

"Gary Cooper."

"John Wayne."

"Henry Fonda."

"Burt Lancaster."

"Kirk Douglas."

"Robert Redford."

"Paul Newman..."

"Steve McQueen?"

The two of them paused, and then said in unison, with an excitement, "MEL CRAIGS!"

Michelle jumped and down. "No way! Really? Really really?"

"Really. Phil Collins fan."

She squeed happily. "Ooh, I can't stand it. You've won me over. Let's go."

The Doctor held out his hand warmly. "Next stop...everywhere."

Michelle frowned. "Oh, no, that's no good."

"It's not?"

"Well, it's just like I felt you've said it before. It's clichéd now. You need something new to say."

The Doctor scratched his head. "Erm...uh...all aboard the universal express?" He gave a lopsided grin.

"That's better. It still sucks though."

"Eh, I do what I can." He gave her a questioning look. "Who is Mel Craigs, anyway?"


	4. Magic Power

The Doctor pulled a lever. "First stop is Phanto. Also known as, the Performance Planet."

"What's the Performance Planet?"

"Oh, you'll see. Care for some travel music?" There was a hum from the TARDIS. "The ship picks the music, by the way. I don't really have any control over it."

The song began to play, and Michelle cheered, "Woo hoo! Canadian rock bands! 'Magic Power', by Triumph...good choice, ship-type thing, good choice."

_Something's at the edge of your mind, you don't know what it is  
Somethin' you were hopin' to find but you're not sure what it is  
Then you hear the music and it all comes crystal clear  
The music does the talkin' says the things you want to hear_

CHORUS:  
I'm young, I'm wild and I'm free  
I got the magic power of the music in me  
(Repeat)

She climbs into bed, pull the covers overhead and turns her little radio on  
She's had a rotten day so she hopes the DJ's gonna play her favorite song  
It makes her feel much better, brings her closer to her dreams  
A little magic power makes it better that it seems

She's young now, she's wild now, she wants to be free  
She gets the magic power of the music in me

If you're thinkin' it over but you just can't sort it out  
Do you want someone to tell you what they think it's all about  
Are you the one and only who's sad and lonely, reachin' for the top  
Well the music keeps you goin' and it's never gonna stop  
Never gonna stop  
Never gonna, never gonna, never gonna stop

The world is full of compromise, and infinite red tape  
But the music's got the magic, it's your one chance for escape  
So turn me on - turn me up - it's your turn to dream  
A little magic power makes it better than it seems

Michelle looked at the Doctor. He looked so happy.


	5. Raised on Radio

Michelle asked, "So can I look out the door while we travel? Or will we get sucked out into space and die?"

The Doctor scoffed. "Surely you don't think I would be flying without shielding, do you? Give it a try."

She protested, "Well, how am I supposed to know all this techno-crap? It's not like we have the capability for something like this in 2008. This is all very Star Trek."

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, I'm much better than Star Trek. Much."

Michelle said drolly, "No, skinny white boy. You just wish that you were like Captain Kirk and _wish_ that you got to nail all the sexy space broads who come along. Am I right or am I right?"

The Doctor flushed a bright red. "Erm...well...uh...it's a bit hard to explain..." After a second he piped up, "Though I have to admit, this incarnation of me is rather attractive, isn't it? I suppose I understand why they all want to..." He then seemed to remember what he was talking about, and busily set himself to work.

She folded her arms and looked at him, a sly smile on her face. "'Be with you?' I'm not a little kid, DW. No need to be embarrassed. Go on."

The Doctor pretended to be fussing with some connections. "I don't really have relationships. I, uh, tend to outlast everyone that comes in contact with me."

"Ah. Afraid to commit. I get it." Michelle was feeling thirsty, and noted a cup of water conveniently sitting on the console. _That's odd. I just thought about it and it appeared._

The Doctor exhaled, "Uh, that's not exactly it, sadly. Just because I look like I'm in my 30's doesn't mean I am. Over 900, actually."

Michelle did a spit take from her cup of water. "You're how old? Incarnation? What the hell does it mean?"

The Doctor sighed, as if having explained this all before hundreds of times. "I'm a Time Lord. I don't stay the same, I get to a certain point and then regenerate into someone new."

"Oh, so you don't get to be hot forever. Poor you!" she said sarcastically. "No more seducing all the girls then."

Michelle placed her hand on the wall of the TARDIS, leaning against it for support, and suddenly it was like there was a faint green glow in her eye. She spoke in a strange, metallic tone. "Rose Tyler, requited and satisfied. Martha Jones, unrequited, unsatisfied. River Song, not accomplished due to temporal complications. Donna Noble, platonic. Michelle Reynolds, not yet known to system."

The Doctor's head snapped around. "What?"

"Relationship log since Earth term 1996...Rose Tyler, requited and satisfied..."

"_Stop touching the wall_!!"

The shouting brought Michelle back to reality. She wobbled, and fell to her knees. "That was lame..."

The Doctor did not come to her side this time. "All right then?"

Michelle rubbed her temples. "Oww...yeah, I think so. What happened?"

"Oh, sometimes humans link with the TARDIS. Telepathically, I mean. Usually they tend to be people of high psionic skill. I wouldn't put too much into it, though, you probably just have some residual effects from the Jewel of Kedron. Might want to sit down for a few minutes."

Michelle was annoyed. "You're not that special either. And I don't feel like sitting down." She was starting to fume internally. "I was just kidding around, Doctor. I didn't ask to know about your conquests, I wasn't even interested, you don't need to make your computer go bragging about who you've been with."

"They're not conquests, they were companions! If you'd let me explain, I don't keep track of this stuff, it's the TARDIS that..."

"I don't care, okay? I just want to go back to the 80's and get away from this crap. As if you've got any clue about what it's like to be alone, with that roster I just rattled off!"

The Doctor just looked at her, a sad expression in his eyes.

"What?" she snapped. "What are you staring at?"

"Nothing."

Agitated, Michelle announced, "I'm going to go hang out by the...door for a while."

"Suit yourself. Might want to take some Dramamine first, though?"

"Psssh. Dramamine. I don't have motion sickness, you know. I'm sure I can handle it." She brusquely shoved the door open, saw the wormhole...and threw up.

*****

"Oh damn...I'm going to need a rag or something. Sorry!"

"No need," said the Doctor cheerfully. "It will take care of itself." With an orange colored light and zapping noise, the mess was ejected into space.

Michelle just looked at him.

"It's a tidy TARDIS. It doesn't like to be dirty."

She pointed at his feet. "So how come your ship lets you get away with those ratty old Converse? You need some new ones."

"Oh, but the worn ones are the best kind!"

There was a slight "thump", which jarred Michelle. "Oof."

The Doctor ran to the door, opened it and announced brightly, "We're heeeeeeere!"

Michelle brushed imaginary dirt off her clothes. "Where is here?"

"I told you earlier, Phanto. The Performance Planet."

"And why is it called that?"

"Ah! It's because they are famous for one particular sport...karaoke!"

*****

Michelle marched quickly across the red, rocky soil, toward a giant structure that looked like a stadium. Spotlights shone back and forth, and a large crowd of various aliens were streaming in through the entrance. Ships of multiple classes flew through the sky, landing and parking. She now had on a pair of jeans and Converse of her own, which had appeared out of nowhere on the console when she remarked about how much she wanted to change out of the mini-skirt and boots. She had been hoping for some different shoes, but it seemed that the only thing the TARDIS was capable of producing were Converse, at least when it came to footwear.

Several feet behind was the Doctor, who was attempting to catch up. "Not talking to me?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you're an ass."

"Oh, come on! Put a smile on your face, and make the world a better place! Have some fun for a change!"

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Hope you've got money for admission. I'm not paying our way in."

The Doctor laughed. "Who needs money when you've got psychic paper?" They stopped at the entrance and the Doctor flashed what looked like a blank passport. "I'm Doctor No, this is Ms. Michelle Schmeckel. We're guests of the main act this evening."

The elf-like creature looked incredibly bored. "Please proceed to your left."

*****

Michelle and the Doctor headed quickly to the left side of the stadium, where on stage, something that looked like an eel with hands and feet was hissing and clicking out some sort of bizarre music.

The Doctor smiled and said, "I just love it when Anguilliformes sing their interpretation of 'Rock Me Gently, Rock Me Slowly.' It's so fresh and creative!"

Michelle pursed her lips and folded her arms. "So who's the main act this evening?"

"You are, of course."

She looked at him blankly. "Me?"

"Sure! No human has been in a Phantosian karaoke contest for over 500 years. It will be fun for the locals to watch! I went ahead and entered you by subspace transmission."

Michelle said icily, "You what?"

"Oh, relax, you'll have a great time. What song are you going to sing?"

"I'm _not_ going to sing!"

"But you have to! There's over 400 grebleks and a trophy riding on it! Besides, I think that Octopoid over there has a crush on you." He pointed to a tentacled thing in the audience which typed something out on what looked like a Blackberry, and it beamed a message into the air, which appeared in pink letters.

'How much for big-bosomed female? She is attractive, good breeding stock.'

The Doctor called back some weird gurgling noises.

"What did you just tell him???"

"Oh, I told him that you were not for sale, that I already own you."

Michelle snapped, "_What_?" Before she could say anything else, two frog-like creatures came up and stated, "You perform now. It is time." They picked her up and bodily carried her off to the stage.

Michelle screeched out after the Doctor, "You _suck_! I want it to be known that you, regardless of anything else, completely, utterly and totally _suck_!!"

"Break a leg," he called out after her.

"I'll break your skull!"

*****

Michelle was placed upon the stage, and a microphone that seemed to be made out of rock was pushed into her hand. "Now presenting, hew-mahn fee-mayle. Begin singing."

"Uh...uh..." She helplessly looked at the band behind her of frog-like creatures. "Hello...Cleveland?" The microphone made a horrible screeching noise.

"Pssst!" Someone whispered to her right. Michelle looked over and the Doctor was standing in the wings. He added, "Go to the guitar player and think of a song. They'll telepathically pick it up from you."

"Ergh..." Michelle nervously shuffled to the guitar player and stated, "I'm ready." The frog creature slapped a suction-cupped hand onto the side of her head. "Song received," it croaked. Michelle had guessed by now that the frog creatures were the Phantosians.

A Phantosian picked up a harmonica and began the opening riffs of the song. Before Michelle could say, "5...6...7...8..." the guitar had begun.

And so she sang, fearful at first, but throwing her hips into it as the song went along.

_Journey - Raised On Radio_

Stagger Lee, can you Do The Locomotion  
Lucille I hear you knocking but you can't come in  
Rockin' Robin, C.C Rider,  
A Rama Lama Ding Dong  
Let the Good Times Roll  
My Sweet Sixteen  
I'm Maybelline

The Great Pretender  
Returned To Sender  
I wonder Why Fools Fall in Love  
Yeah, Louie, Louie, loves drive-in movies.  
Johnny Angel Rocks Around the Clock

Mister D.J. make a dedication  
Cause I'm All Shook Up over Peggy Sue  
I'm Mister Blue,  
The hits keep rockin' station to station  
In the Midnight Hour in the Sea of Love  
My Turtle Dove.  
When I Found my Thrill, On Blue Berry Hill,  
We wrote Love Letters in the Sand.  
Be Bop a Lu La,  
She Loved Me Tender.  
Jungle Lion Sleeps Tonight

Radio, radio  
We're all raised on radio, radio  
I love my radio  
Radio, Radio,  
Radio, Radio.

The Phantosian guitar player went into the last jam, and Michelle waved at the audience. "Everybody, put your hands together...or various other appendages...one more time!" She dashed to the right, grabbed the Doctor by the coat, and pulled him out on stage with her.

"What are you doing? I can't dance!" he spluttered.

"Too freaking bad! You put me out here, and if I have to suffer, so do you! Just feel the music!"

And they began to dance together, and surprisingly, during the last chorus, the choreography wasn't half bad.

*****

At the end of the song, the Doctor and Michelle held hands and took a bow. Several varieties of flowers were thrown, as well as different kinds of gel and goo that appeared on the stage in appreciation. She wiped a purple slick from her face and waved again. "Thank you, good night!"

"Don't go just yet...I think you won!" A large pile of coins and a silver star were thrust into her hands.

****

Michelle stood outside the stadium, waving goodbye to the last bear-like creature that held up an electronic writing pad and stylus for an autograph. "Thanks for coming, you guys were great!"

The Doctor stood with his hands in his pockets. "So, what are you going to spend your money on?"

"I don't know...what's the shopping like on Phanto?"

"Practically anything you could ever want."

"Well, let's go tomorrow." She itched her sticky scalp gingerly. "I need to go back to the TARDIS...kind of need a shower."

They walked back across the rocky soil together. "Michelle? I just want to say, I think you were brilliant. Fantastic."

"Yeah, I was pretty good," she said dismissively. "But you still suck."


	6. Take On Me

Michelle lounged in a hammock in the corner of the TARDIS. It connected on one side of the wall and hung from a pipe on the other side. She was reading an Agatha Christie novel, and was clothed in a blue and brown flowered wrap dress.

The Doctor came in through the door of the TARDIS. "Afternoon!" He was carrying two large bags full of oddly colored fruit. "Any reason you didn't feel like coming to market with me?"

"After yesterday's shopping excursion? No thanks. I've had enough of being pawed at by star-struck Phantosians who want me to have their frog children." Most of the grebleks had been spent on obtaining new clothing, though Michelle had got a few items of jewelry and a miniaturized statue of a weeping angel. It had attracted her as being very strange and Gothic looking, but before she could even touch it, the Doctor had insisted on scanning the angel with some device of his. He then assured her he had found it to be a genuine antique and "not dangerous in any fashion." She had merely been confused.

The Doctor did not answer. Michelle put her book down, and glanced over to find him looking at her. "Stop staring at my cleavage."

"What? I'm not! I just wanted to know where the hammock came from!"

"Sure you did. I believe you. Anyway, your ship made it for me, Spaz. It also mixed me a very nice cocktail." She held up a glass. "It's a screwdriver. Not very sonic, though." Michelle mimed reading the Agatha Christie book again, though it was merely to hide a grin. Oh, how easy it was to wind up the Doctor.

"And that's my book!"

"I know! I'll put it back when I'm done. Relax."

"Going through my things? It sounds like we have some trust issues here, Michelle."

Michelle closed the book with a "snap" and leaned back. "Don't have a cow, DW. I trust you. It's just it seems your TARDIS wants to share little clues about you. And provide me with whatever material possessions I want, for some reason." She had a look at the publication page of the novel. "The year 5 billion...something. Ugh, that's too many zeroes for my head to wrap around."

She got up from the hammock and went over to the video screen. "Check this out. I managed to find a Photoshop-type program on the mainframe. If you put your face on Steve Perry's body, you look like a dead ringer for him! Except you need a mullet, which shouldn't be too hard for you to grow..."

"Enough! I'm talking about me trusting you! I have asked you before not to fool around with anything that's in the TARDIS! This is a very delicate machine..."

"It's not all machine. I'm pretty sure part of it is alive. Or more than part of it."

"That's not the point, the point is..."

"The point is what, Doctor? You don't really share anything with me voluntarily, so I kind of have to discover this stuff on my own. Like for example, I know nothing about you. Where do you come from?"

The Doctor turned away. "A planet called Gallifrey."

"Sounds Irish. Do we get to go there at all?"

"We can't. It doesn't exist anymore." He began to manipulate some of the levers on the console.

"Okay...so what happened?"

"It was destroyed."

"By what? Global warming? Those weird critters that look like salt and pepper shakers with toilet plunger hands? The TARDIS showed me some of those, talk about bad special effects for whoever made those things..."

"_Stop!_" The Doctor angrily punched the console. "Not everything is a joke, okay? I don't feel like talking about it anymore. If you want to know something else, ask the TARDIS."

Michelle was speechless. "My apologies," she finally said after a while. "I'll quit bugging you and let you go back to your work." Trying to make herself busy, she began unloading the fruit the Doctor had brought back into the pantry that had just appeared. With the last one, she took a knife and sliced into the fruit, taking a bite out of it. It tasted like a combination of raspberry and lemon.

"Do you want one?" she asked the Doctor nervously. "They're pretty good."

"I know, I love mongaberries. But I'm not hungry right now."

Michelle sauntered over and sat down on the ledge, munching the fruit and curiously watching the Doctor. "I never see you eat! You're so skinny." She leaned down and pinched his butt.

"Oi! Hands off!"

"Sorry, it's just if you get any skinnier, you'll become two-dimensional."

The Doctor stopped working and stared at Michelle thoughtfully. "Have you ever been two-dimensional before?"

"Uh, no..." She gave him a look as if he were crazy. "Does it hurt?"

"Nawww. Quite fun, actually. I think we should go. Let's do it, let's go now!" He ran to a compartment and pulled out two devices that looked essentially like a button on a string. He threw one over her neck and the other over his own.

"Oh, this looks safe," Michelle said sarcastically. "What did this cost, ninety-nine cents to make?"

"It's supremely expensive and powerful, don't break it. You break it, you buy it."

Michelle shook her head. "So what do I do, just press it?"

"Yep," and he popped the "p" when he answered. "Catch you in the a-ha Dimension!" He pressed the button and vanished in a flash of light.

"Wait for me!" Michelle snapped. "I wonder what the a-ha Dimension is." She pressed her button and also vanished.

************

When Michelle appeared again, she was standing in a stark white background. She also felt mysteriously flat, and without much substance. She looked down at herself and she appeared to be made out of a pencil drawing.

Though she tried to speak, she could not. And yet, she felt she knew what was going on. She was standing on a track, where several motorcycles waited to begin a race. But where was the Doctor?

As she looked, she found him to be on one of the motorcycles. Michelle tried to call out to him, but was unable to get his attention.

A man with no face raised a starter pistol into the air. Michelle covered her ears, waiting for the gunshot. Strangely, it made no sound. But the motorcycles raced past in a blur of black streaks. Following the Doctor was a man in a helmet with the number "13", and a wrench in his hand.

A joyful voice appeared in her head. "Beware the mechanic man with the wrench!"

"Doctor?" A large checkered flag was waved, and Michelle knew he had won the race. There was also music that was playing in the background.

_We're talking away  
I don't know what  
I'm to say I'll say it anyway  
Today's another day to find you  
Shying away  
I'll be coming for your love, OK?_

Take on me, take me on  
I'll be gone  
In a day or two

Suddenly the Doctor was right in front of her. "Come on! Want to see the mirror effect?" He grabbed what looked like her drawn hand and pulled her through an environment of scribbles to some kind of window. "Two-dimensional, three-dimensional. Two, three." He hopped back and forth behind the window, to look like his normal self and back to a pencil drawing.

"Let me come through! I don't like the way this feels." She tried to reach her hand through the window but could not.

"I can't, the story's not over yet!"

_So needless to say  
I'm odds and ends  
But that's me stumbling away  
Slowly learning that life is OK.  
Say after me  
It's no better to be safe than sorry_

Take on me, take me on  
I'll be gone  
In a day or two

"Get them." It was a voice she did not recognize. A dark figure appeared behind Michelle and she turned around. It was the same man in a helmet, the wrench raised threateningly. "Holy crap! It's that mechanic guy!"

"Ooh, how exciting! Time to run. They're called the Wrenchers, by the way." He grabbed her hand again and they began dashing through some sort of hallway.

_Oh the things that you say  
Is it life or  
Just a play my worries away  
You're all the things I've got to  
remember  
You're shying away  
I'll be coming for you anyway_

Take on me, take me on  
I'll be gone  
In a day or two

"Doctor! Get me out of here, I don't want to be killed by a drawing of a psycho that's lost a motorcycle race to you!"

They had reached a dead end. The men with the wrenches advanced threateningly. The Doctor tore a hole in the wall and pushed Michelle through.

"_Doctor!_" As she fell through, she could see the mechanic raise the wrench.

With a thunk, she landed on the floor of the TARDIS. "Doctor?" Michelle looked around frantically for his presence. "Where are you?" He was nowhere to be found.

*****

There was a brief rush of air, a "whoosh", and the Doctor appeared about 30 seconds later. Michelle rushed toward him, but he stepped back.

"It's...not...working..." He appeared to be in pain, switching back and forth from pencil drawing to his whole self.

The Doctor slammed his body into the wall. "Got to...fix it..."

Michelle bit her knuckle nervously. The Doctor looked at her. "You must help me, before I fade away...take it off..."

Her heart slamming in her chest, Michelle dived forward and ripped the device off the Doctor's neck. She threw it into a corner, and the Doctor came back fully, and slumped against the wall. He was drenched in sweat.

The Doctor started laughing. "So much fun! I haven't done that in 20 years! Did you like it?"

Michelle threw her hands up in the air. "You could have been killed!"

"Oh yeah, definitely. Comes with the territory of being a Time Lord."

Michelle just sat there, and then with a sudden urge, rushed over and hugged the Doctor tightly.

Surprised, he chuckled and patted her on the back. For a while, they rested, her head pressed against his chest and listening to the two solid heartbeats.


	7. Desert Moon

One day as they were traveling Michelle remarked to the Doctor, "You know, I found this song in the databases. It kind of reminds me of you."

"You did, huh?" He did not look up from the tangled mess of wires that he was working on.

"Sure did." There was an awkward pause.

"Well?" he asked.

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to play it?"

"Erm..." Michelle reddened. "I can, yeah, but I thought we'd just discuss it instead."

"Oh no, doesn't work like that. Anytime anybody suggests to me a new theme song, I've got to at least hear it. You know, try it on for size."

Michelle shrugged. "It's your funeral, DW." She hit a button on the console.

_Nik Kershaw - Wouldn't It Be Good to Be In Your Shoes_

I got it bad  
you don't know how bad I got it.  
You got it easy  
you don't know when you've got it good  
It's getting harder  
just keeping life and soul together

I'm sick of fighting even though I know I should  
The cold is biting through each and ev'ry nerve and fibre

My broken spirit is frozen to the core  
I don't want to be here no more

Wouldn't it be good to be in your shoes even if it was for just one day  
And wouldn't it be good if we could wish ourselves away  
Wouldn't it be good to be on your side

The grass is always greener over there  
Wouldn't it be good if we could live without a care

You must be joking  
you don't know a thing about it  
You've got no problems  
I'd stay right there if I were you  
I got it harder  
you couldn't dream how hard I got it

Stay out of my shoes if you know what's good for you.  
The heat is stifling  
burning me up from the inside  
The sweat is coming through each and ev'ry pore  
I don't want to be here no more, I don't want to be here no more  
I don't want to be here no more  
Wouldn't it be good to be in your shoes even if it was for just one day...  
I got it bad, you don't know how bad I got it...

Michelle looked over. The Doctor had vanished from whatever project he was and was standing next to her, hands in pockets, with a rather pensive face. He gave a wry grin. "There are times when I almost lose my faith in humanity, and then there is one human that tends to get me figured out pretty well. And so I keep that faith."

She corrected, "Well, I didn't think the song was so much about you as it makes me want to be in your shoes. I want to be a time traveler forever and see new and exciting places."

The smile rapidly disappeared from his face to be replaced by anger, something Michelle had not seen on the Doctor's face before. "You think that's all it is about? Fun and games, and jokes?"

Michelle stammered, "N-no, I only meant that..."

The Doctor snapped, "Then maybe you ought to be quiet for once when there are things you don't understand!" He threw his hands up in the air and exclaimed, "I'm really sick of this rubbish!" He stomped over to the wall, which rapidly opened into the bedroom and vanished.

It confused Michelle. What an odd thing to say. "How am I ever supposed to understand you if you won't tell me what you are really all about???" There was no answer.

****

That night (or whatever could be considered night for Michelle's Circadian rhythms), Michelle lay in the other bedroom of the TARDIS. She was not used to what was called the continental quilt, which was one large coverlet, as most American beds came with sheets and blankets to be pulled over oneself.

Tonight, for some reason, there was an odd scent of perfume on the quilt. It was both subtle and fragrant at the same time, something a bold and brassy woman would have worn. It made Michelle think about who had used the bed before her, and what they were like.

She covered her eyes with her one arm, and attempted to rest. Eventually the sleep overtook her, and Michelle's muscles relaxed. Her arm rolled off her face and her fingertips touched the wall. A soft blue glow came from the TARDIS and traveled up her arm, through her shoulder and neck into her mind. It was quiet, and did not wake her.

*****

The next morning, when she was awake and they had landed and were exiting the TARDIS, Michelle shielded her face with one hand. "Damn, that's bright!" The sun pounded down relentlessly.

"It's why I told you to wear sunglasses, a big hat and sunscreen. The Desert Moon is lit up 56 hours a day, four days a week." The Doctor reached out and pulled the brim of her hat down farther over her face until she could put on the sunglasses.

"How many hours and what's it called?" She used the sleeve of her T-shirt to wipe the sweat off her eyes.

"The Desert Moon." The Doctor casually chewed the end of a toothpick. Besides sunglasses, he was dressed normally.

"So why the hell are you wearing your suit and coat???"

"I'm not human. You are. I can absorb the ultraviolet light much better than you can."

Michelle stuck her tongue out at him. "Fine, be a walking, talking advertisement for skin cancer. See if I care." She went to take a step off the platform they were on and was immediately pulled back by the Doctor.

"Uh uh. Stay on the conveyor belt."

"I prefer to use my legs and walk, thank you very much."

"You can't. This is the home of the Living Sands. Walking on them could gravely injure the creatures."

"Huh?" Michelle peered over the tops of her sunglasses and noticed that the sand dunes, which stretched as far as the eye could see, were seemingly alive, writhing and twisting into all sorts of shapes. "But how do they make different forms? Sand has to be wet to join together cohesively."

The Doctor pointed out the water jets spraying a continuous stream from under the conveyor belt. "It's a watering system that pulls the liquid directly from the core of the Desert Moon. The water is used, reabsorbed into the core, and pumped out again. The ultimate recycling."

Michelle nodded in response.

"Come on then." The Doctor took her hand and helped her onto the conveyor belt. They stood next to each other in relative silence, traveling along and watching as the sand morphed into shape after shape. Michelle was most impressed with a giant whale that leaped many feet into the air, and was once again absorbed into the sand with no sound at all.

"Like an art show, isn't it?" The Doctor pointed out to Michelle a waltzing couple. "Absolutely beautiful and brilliant. The Living Sands exist solely for the purpose of making lovely shapes. They exist to be happy."

"Yep," said Michelle, and this time she popped the p at the end of the word, except it was more in a sarcastic manner.

The Doctor frowned. "Are you all right?"

Michelle looked at him pointedly. "My name is Michelle Reynolds. I am 26 years old, I was born in Naperville, Illinois, and I lived on a farm with my Aunt May until I was 18 and graduated high school. I then went out and worked various odd jobs until I went to Europe, and found the Jewel of the Kedron. I have no siblings, no one is really bothered that I'm gone, and no one really knows I'm gone, as well."

He did not answer so she continued, "I have never been in love and never been in a relationship, which is the best thing that could ever possibly happen to me. I am not attached, not pretty as I'm essentially 250 pounds of Jell-O, and I can do whatever I want in life because of it. No one cries for me, and I don't cry for them. Bada bing, bada boom."

Michelle took a shuddering sigh, and looked back at the Doctor. "And now it's your turn."

"They call me the Doctor, and I'm a Time Lord. I come from the planet Gallifrey." He tucked the toothpick inside his jacket pocket, remembering not to throw it into the sand.

Michelle shook her head. "Of course. That's it. Nothing more about who you are, what you've been through, who your family and loves are. That's all I ever get."

The Doctor looked at her sadly. "I can't tell you any more. It would hurt you."

She snapped, "I want to make it clear that nothing hurts me, okay? I am made of stone when it comes to that kind of thing. Unattached, remember?"

"Kongo!" There was a joyful roar of sorts behind her.

"Huh??" They had got to a stopped platform, and she turned to find a huge ape behind her.

"Sorry, Michelle, this is a good friend of mine from about 250 years ago. It's Kongo of the Simianus tribe. Do you mind if we catch up for a few minutes? I won't be long, I promise."

"Um...sure, go ahead." She headed away to let the Doctor and the gorilla-like creature talk, and stood near the edge of the stationary platform. The winds blew against her face.

*****

There was a brief moment when Michelle heard a voice from far away.

"But I was gonna be with you forever...for the rest of my life!"

She looked down. There was a perfectly shaped human hand that the Living Sands had formed, and it reached for her. Mechanically, she got down on her knees and reached over the side of the platform, taking the hand.

_Desert Moon - Dennis DeYoung_

"Is this the train to Desert Moon?" was all she said  
but I knew I'd heard that stranger's voice before.  
I turned to look into her eyes, but she moved away  
She was standing in the rain  
Trying hard to speak my name  
They say first love never runs dry

"Her name was Rose. Rose Tyler."

_The waiter poured our memories in a tiny cup  
We stumbled over words we longed to hear  
We talked about the dreams we'd lost, or given up  
When the whistle caught the night  
And shook silence from my life  
As the last train rolled toward the moon_

"But she was better with you!"

_Those summer nights  
When we were young  
We bragged of things  
We'd never done  
We were dreamers, only dreamers  
And in our haste  
To grow too soon  
We left our innocence on Desert Moon  
We were dreamers, only dreamers  
On Desert Moon  
On Desert Moon  
On Desert Moon  
Desert Moon_

"Because if she remembers, she'll burn up."

_I still can hear the whisper of the summer nights  
It echoes in the corners of my heart  
The night we stood and waited for the desert train  
All the words we meant to say  
All the chances swept away  
Still remain on the road to the dunes_

"She was better with you..."

The Living Sands formed the shape of Donna Noble, her grandfather, and the Doctor, with Rose Tyler's face briefly in the background. While she had slept, the TARDIS had shared the stories of the companions with Michelle in her dreams. The Living Sands had detected the dormant psionic impulses from Michelle's brain, and told her the story in their own way. She had got what she wanted. and she knew everything...and now she was shattered.

*****

The Doctor called out, "Michelle, great news! Kongo wants to invite us for drinks aboard his ship tonight. You'll love the Simianus tribe...wait, where are you going?"

Michelle had broken off into a dead run, back across the platform and back across the conveyor belt, except she was going against the direction that it was traveling. But she was running effortlessly, as though it seemed not to cause her any difficulty whatsoever.

The Doctor ran after her. "Michelle! Stop! What happened?" He tried to match her breakneck pace, but was continually jostled by the mass of different aliens traveling across the belt to see the Living Sands. "Sorry, coming through...sorry! Michelle!"

She eventually made it to the landing strip where the ships were parked, raced to the TARDIS and pushed inside, slamming the door behind her.

*****

The Doctor found Michelle in a crumpled heap on the floor, crying hysterically. "Good God, what happened? Did somebody hurt you?"

"Don't come near me!!" Her tear-streaked face looked up briefly. "The TARDIS told me all about them. Something bad always happens to the people who get involved with you!"

The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks. "It's..." And he knew he had said it before. "It's the curse of a Time Lord."

"Yeah, that they have to either die, fall in love with you and lose you, or get their memories wiped. You're really safe to be around. How about a bloody disclaimer first before I left with you?"

"It's different every time, Michelle. I can't always know what is to happen in the future..."

"Shut up! You're a Time Lord, remember? No damned excuses. And I don't want to hear you tell me that 'you're sorry, you're so sorry.' I can't believe what a mistake I made coming with you. I mean...it's been fun and wonderful and everything, but I made a mistake telling you that I'm happy being unattached. I need to stop throwing away my chances for love. I need to try and find somebody, my God, before it's too late! I don't care that I'm ugly and will probably fail, I've got to try! I can't be like you, won't be like you."

Being over 900 years old, it was nothing the Doctor hadn't heard before, but the next statement she made threw him for a loop. "Take me home. Now."

He managed, "You want to go back?"

"Did I stutter, Spaz? I want to go home, I said."

The Doctor protested, "But I have so many more places to show you..."

"Tough shit. Forget the whole 80's thing, just take me back to my modern world. Get me home."

"O-of course. In a few hours. The engine needs to recharge."

*****

Michelle's tears had quieted somewhat, and the Doctor numbly moved to her side. "Have we both had it rough?" he asked her, and held out his arms.

Suspicious of his motives, she sat up enough that he could hug her. Michelle faced his chest and couldn't really see his face. "I mean it. I want out. I'm not changing my mind."

"I know." His voice was even, but if she had only seen his face...

*****

_You want to go? But you make me laugh...it's been so long since I've laughed. And you want to go and leave me here alone again. I miss laughing..._

The Doctor gave a muffled sob. A tear rolled down his cheek and splashed into Michelle's hair. She did not notice it.

Michelle had been in the arms of the Doctor, felt him stiffen at the mention of her leaving, and pulled away quickly. He might have dropped his mask, she thought. But a look at him revealed only a stonyfaced stare.

"Good," she said, and stood up.

"Good what?" asked the Doctor, his voice flat.

"I'm glad that you're not attached to me. I told you that no one should do that, and if they did, they ought to be slapped."

"No need," mumbled the Doctor.

Michelle ignored the comment, and turned to face him, arms folded. "I'll tell you what."

The Doctor was still sitting down. His gaze was empty and he looked defeated.

"Aren't you gonna get up?"

"I like the floor."

"Suit yourself, Spaz. But anyway, as I was saying, I have a better alternative. I'll go ahead and get a good night's sleep. I'm damned exhausted." As if on cue, the lights in the TARDIS dimmed slightly.

"And then?"

Michelle smiled genially. "And then you can use your Time Lord know-how to figure out how to drop me off at Aunt May's farm near Elburn, Illinois. You'll need to give me a plausible excuse about how I managed to afford to come back home after nearly 10 years and this terrible economy that the US has."

"That's what you want?"

She joyfully patted the Doctor on both shoulders. "You got it, DW. And then we can both be rid of each other."

"I'll get cracking on that right away," snapped the Doctor. "How about a free mansion too? And a family to live the rest of your life with? I'll just snap my fingers and make it all appear for you!"

Once again she did not respond, but instead whistled cheerfully and disappeared into the second bedroom of the TARDIS.

*****

The Doctor paced back and forth in frustration. Energy crackled between his fingertips. "Our lifetimes together, and you did this to me? How could you? Why is she special?"

The ship hummed in response.

"So what if she's a psionic? She doesn't know that yet! And even if you can bond with her, that doesn't give you the right to tell her the story of Donna Noble without sharing my side too!"

The Doctor clenched his fist. "There's nothing else to be done. I'll have to erase her memory, just like I did with Donna."

The TARDIS shuddered as the Doctor stormed toward the second bedroom. Old anger, hurt and pain from long ago, and not so long ago, boiled up in his veins.

He tried to enter the second bedroom, and found the wall remained solid. "TARDIS? Let me in."

The ship hummed.

"I'm not doing this merely for personal reasons! Her mind needs to be wiped. If our time together has been meaningless, then this is the best solution. It's not safe for her to remember everything if she's merely going to run off home. We can place her in a train station, or somewhere safe with a lot of people. She'll receive good care!"

Another shuddering sensation came from the TARDIS. "Yes, I know, I haven't said this for any of the other companions, but..."

This time the ship actually bucked. The Doctor stumbled, brushed himself off, and conceded, "All right, I won't do anything until you show me what's going on."

The doorway slowly formed and opened. With light footsteps, the Doctor went into the second bedroom.

*****

He suppressed the urge to laugh at the sight of Michelle sprawled across the bed, one leg drawn up to her chest and mouth open, snoring slightly. A piece of material that he did not recognize hung off the edge of the bed.

Curious, and being careful not to wake Michelle, the Doctor picked up the material. It was a sea green color, fuzzy on one side and with worn satin on the other. It even had a few scorch marks around the edges.

The Doctor inhaled gently. It did not have the whiff of generated particles like what the TARDIS created. Instead, it had a scent of spicy orange, combined with a mild tang of sweat.

He chuckled. _Well, well,_ he thought. _The icy one has a blanket. That's the only thing that truly reminds her of home. Good job, TARDIS, on rescuing it from her suitcase before she blasted it to hell._

The Doctor sighed. This would make his job that much harder. But it was still acceptable, as long as this trip meant nothing to her.

The Doctor lifted his hand toward Michelle's face, telepathic powers at the ready, when suddenly there was a flash, and he was watching Michelle from just a few hours earlier, sitting in the room. Her eyes were red-rimmed from that day.

"Oh, dear TARDIS, don't tell the great Time Lord, but I'm going to miss you both. This has probably been the best time of my short life, and I'm always going to treasure it. In fact, your Doctor is probably the best and only friend that I've ever had. Please don't tell him that, but make sure he keeps safe and continues to do his good work. He is the greatest thing to happen to this universe and I can finally live my life. My only regret is that I won't dance in the 80's. Good night, TARDIS."

Touched, the Doctor pulled his hand back. "She does care! Most certainly and truly she does..." Joy pounded through his two hearts. "Tomorrow, we'll go. We'll go to an actual 1980's prom in America, in a high school! I'll see if this incarnation can pass for 18!"

The urge to laugh and the excitement of the next trip made him want to smile, but the reality that he was once again about to lose someone he cared about overwhelmed that feeling. "I'm just sorry we won't have more time together."

Instead, he just sat and watched her for a moment more, before slinking out of the room quietly.


	8. Weird Science

The Doctor stood outside wearing a tuxedo and his trademark Converse. A tiger lily was pinned in his lapel. "Are you coming?"

A hushed voice came from the TARDIS door, which was open just a crack. "No!"

"Oh, come on! It can't be that bad, can it?"

"I can't wear this! I look like a freaking hot air balloon!"

"Aww, it's the latest style. Don't worry, everyone else looks just as bad. It's the fashions of the time period."

"Um, you're not helping, and that's not the only problem, DW. There is no way that anyone is going to believe I'm 17 years old! I can't _believe_ you insisted on going to a high school prom!" There was a pause. "Though I...must admit I missed my own, it might be nice to finally attend one."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, walked back to the TARDIS and pulled Michelle out of the door. She reddened as he smiled. "Brilliant! You look fetching in that getup! Absolutely gorgeous!"

"Stuff it," she grumbled. Michelle wore a chewing gum pink dress with puffed sleeves and a wide bubble skirt, with dark black nylons and pink pumps. The same bright red lipstick and blue eyeshadow was on again, and she wore plastic pink triangle-shaped earrings. Once again her hair was up in spikes, and a tiger lily adorned her wrist. "God, this is _so_ embarrassing."

"You never know, you might have fun tonight! Like the song says, everybody have fun tonight!" the Doctor mimed.

Michelle wobbled in the high heels. "If you let me fall again, I swear that I will hurt you..."

The TARDIS was parked at the top of a hill, overlooking the spotlights of a large high school campus. The Doctor continued to sing, "Everybody Wang Chung tonight..."

"Could you help me walk, please? Thank you! I love how you think that the chaperones here will let just any random couple walk into their prom. Do we have tickets?" She turned to him.

The Doctor merely waved the psychic paper in Michelle's face as a response.

"Right, should have guessed. But what about our identities?"

"Oh, the TARDIS has given you a quick backstory for the night. I'm John Smith, your out-of-town date."

The Doctor gave Michelle a curious look. "Wait, what's this? Hold on then...your mascara is smudged." He placed his fingertips along Michelle's temple, and she briefly collapsed into his arms before regaining consciousness.

"What? What did you just do?"

"I gave you your backstory, plus some extras."

"Huh? You could ask before doing your psychic thing, lunkhead!" But the Doctor had grabbed her hand and was leading her down the hill.

"Come on, time's a-wastin'."

"Why are we in Crittendon, Ohio?" Michelle had seen the town's identifying sign as the TARDIS had landed.

"Because, my lovely date, it is close enough to your home to be comfortable, but far enough away that you won't interfere with the creation and substantiation of your own existence."

"So no 'Back to the Future.' Great shame. Okay." Michelle allowed the Doctor to lead her to the entrance of Crittendon High School. She swallowed nervously as they neared the doors. "You know, I was rather happy to be done with high school. I...I'm not so eager to relive it so soon!"

"Relax, you'll be fine! Besides, you've got 10 years on everyone else here. And sadly, just so you know, I can give you a backstory, but I can't make teenagers behave themselves."

As if to confirm his statement, there was a "Well, well!" One of the sarcastic, condescending voices Michelle shuddered to remember sounded out behind them. She froze and did not turn around, but did not have to.

Two girls with dishwater blonde hair teased to high heaven moved in front of Michelle and the Doctor. Both were smoking cigarettes. "Looks like Lady Divine got a date!"

The second took a drag from her cigarette. "I guess she was able to put down the ice cream long enough to come to the dance! Who's the hunk, fatty?" She appeared to be chomping on a piece of gum.

Michelle raised her eyebrows. "You chew gum and smoke at the same time? Must taste great."

"Shut up, fatty! I said, who's the hunk?"

"Oh, him? This is John Smith. He's, uh...he's my gay friend from out of town. He offered to take me to the dance this year."

The first one snickered. "Aww, no hunks for the virgin blob. But I could probably turn him around." She batted her eyes coyly at the Doctor.

"Sssssooo charming to meet you both, but I'm afraid you're not manly enough for my tastes," lisped the Doctor. He gave Michelle a secretive glance.

The second girl went to blow a bubble with her gum and instead belched loudly. "Oh, gross!"

"Gag me with a spoon, Tracy! You don't want them to find out we've been drinking, do you? Gawd. I would never act like that in front of Bobby!"

Michelle smirked. "No, instead you go and dance in your underwear for her boyfriend Jake, plus a few other X-rated things that I really ought not to mention in polite company."

The first one, Stacy, immediately looked mortified. "Tracy, don't believe her! She's lying!"

Tracy's jaw dropped, then she became enraged, throwing her hands up in the air, lit cigarette still between her fingers. "I knew those were your leg warmers in his kitchen! You little tramp!"

The Doctor looked as if he was in slight pain. "We need to go, girlfriend." He pulled Michelle away.

"By the way," called Michelle after the bickering 'popular' girls, "Use less Aqua Net hairspray, Tracy. Your hair is on fire." There was a shriek, and cries of "Put it out, put it out!" The sound of flapping hands and jackets could be heard as bystanders rushed to assist.

When they were far enough away, the Doctor winced. "Ooh, that's sore."

Michelle was concerned. "Are you all right?"

The Doctor loosened his collar. "Hang on..." He stifled a belch, then grinned. "Okay, that's better."

Michelle folded her arms. "Super mature."

He shrugged. "I had to give you a chance to stand up for yourself, didn't I? Just a brief telepathic control on my part and Tracy makes herself look like a fool. But she wasn't kidding. She likes her whiskey. And you got to use your backstory!"

Michelle lifted one finger. "And...I don't care." She headed for the doors without him.

"Wait for me!" called the Doctor, running after her. "I can't make a grand entrance on my own!"


	9. Simply Irresistible

The Doctor ushered Michelle into the high school gymnasium. Her jaw dropped at the amount of people. "My God...there's a hell of a lot more folks here then there ever were at my real graduation!"

He smiled at her and remarked, "Crittendon, Ohio is really growing. It's almost as big as Cleveland."

They both smirked then. "And has almost as little entertainment!" they both echoed in unison. Michelle burst out laughing.

"I've been around you too long."

"Well, don't worry, after tonight it won't be much longer that you have to deal with me." She wondered why he sounded almost unhappy at the prospect.

Changing the subject, she quickly asked, "Has the punch been spiked?"

"Naw, there's too many adults near it. Someone will try later this evening though. What a fiasco it will be."

As if on cue, a teenager in a powder blue tuxedo with a ruffled collar leaned suspiciously over the refreshments table. He pulled a flask out of his pocket, went to open it...and then his pants caught the leg of the table.

There was a crash as he went down, Smirnoff spilling out of the flask and onto the floor. Several girls slipped in the puddle and toppled over. "Hank! Hank, you jerk! My dress is ruined!"

A guy remarked, "Holy crap, dude, that's your dad's flask! You are soooo dead now..."

"He certainly is, and that's three days of in-school suspension for you, my boy!" A man Michelle intuitively recognized as the principal grabbed Hank by the ear and pulled him away.

"Wow..." She commented, surprised.

"Yeah," said the Doctor dismissively. "He becomes a used car salesman. Not much else to comment on as far as that guy is concerned."

As they drew closer to the stage, the sound of pulsating music got louder and louder. Everyone in the middle of the gym bounced happily around to the strains of "Crush On You", by the Jets.

The Doctor offered Michelle his hand. "Ready to dance?"

"Hell no..." She was rooted in place. "Not in front of these people. Aliens is one thing. High schoolers is another."

"Oh come on! Unlike me, you only live once!"

Fortunately for Michelle, someone called her name. "Michelle! Mish! Over here!"

She looked up to find two young girls calling her name from the corner, waving to her. Almost instinctively, she recited out loud, "Alice Perkins, age 17, an emigre from London. Her parents moved over here to work for a local factory last year. Laura Mulligan, age 18. She's from the area. And they are...my friends??"

Michelle stared at the Doctor. "I...didn't have friends in high school. What's with the 80's buddies?"

He shrugged. "The TARDIS likes you. You do have a rather extensive backstory that I created."

Nodding, she headed over to the corner where Laura and Alice were standing. "Er, what's up guys?" Michelle waved sheepishly.

Laura was excitedly telling Alice, "My dad finally saved up enough money to get us one of those VCR's. It was so expensive though! Like $1,500.00 or something. I hope the prices come down some day...I really want to get my own when I move out so I can watch 'Back to the Future Part II' when it comes out on video."

Alice beamed, "So totally awesome! We can totally watch 'Ghostbusters' now." Her English accent was different than the Doctor's, though only slightly. "Ooh, Michelle, that dress totally goes with your hair, you look so pretty!"

Laura pulled something out of her bag. "Look, Alice, look what I got in the mail yesterday. Howard Jones's autograph! He is so totally good looking!"

Alice made a squeeing sound. "You are so lucky! I want one too! Not as bad as I want to meet Glass Tiger, though."

At the squeeing, the Doctor winced and held his ears. "You'd be surprised how many times I hear that very same noise echoing through the universe. Always seems to be directed towards my TARDIS, I can never figure it out. And it always comes from Earth."

Michelle scoffed. "Sure. You have Earth girls squealing about how cute you are. You, Dorky Doctor." She burst out laughing.

"Who's that?" Laura looked spectacularly unimpressed. "Michelle, you promised we were all going to go to the prom as a group. If one of us couldn't find a date, then none of us were going to get a date. Remember?"

"Oh...oh, him? Dorky Doctor? Forget him. He's a homo."

Alice said sulkily, "I wish I had a date that was a hot homo." She grabbed Laura's autograph and held it up to the Doctor's face. "Do you think this guy is cute? I think he's gay. You would be able to tell, right?"

The Doctor looked bemused. "No, he's not gay. He has lovely eyes and hair though."

"I know," said Laura dreamily. "Even better than Dorky Doctor!"

Michelle grinned. "I must agree, Dorky Doctor is kind of cute, even though he is gay."

"Thanks," smirked the Doctor. "I appreciate it, even coming from a girl."

Alice looked confused. "Your name is Dorky Doctor? Oh my God, you sound like I do. Are you from London too?"

"No, no...I'm actually called John Smith, but Dorky Doctor appears to be my nickname for the evening." He glared briefly at Michelle, who avoided his gaze. "I know your mum and dad from the factory."

"So you're older then? Probably like 21 or so, right?" At Alice's question, Michelle chortled to the point of knee slapping, and the Doctor merely sighed.

"Oh, okay...you've kind of disappointed me, Michelle. You actually got to bring a cute older guy to prom, and he can't even be straight?" Alice looked around. "Do you want me to find some chairs for the rest of the evening, so we can sit? My high heels aren't made for standing for ages on end."

The Doctor's companion seemed to have one of those epiphanies, right there and then. Michelle looked at Alice in surprise. "You're not serious, are you? We're going to go this whole night without dancing?"

The Doctor muttered under his breath in falsetto, "'Oh no, I can't dance in front of high schoolers, meh meh meh.' Don't listen when _I_ make the suggestion, heavens forbid."

"I'm sorry, did you care to include something, John? Something the rest of us can _all_ hear?" Michelle's hands were on her hips like a disapproving old lady. Alice and Laura merely snickered.

"No, no...just prattling, sorry."

Laura interrupted. "In answer to your question, yes, we had planned on sitting the whole thing out."

The Doctor folded his arms, "Michelle doesn't like to dance normally."

Alice stated, "I know, she told us she didn't plan on doing any dancing when we agreed to meet up here...talk about confusing."

"Well..." Michelle threw her arms up in the air. "Last minute change of plans, okay? Trust me, guys, if we don't dance at this...at our prom, we'll regret it the rest of our lives. Understand?'

Alice shrugged. "I guess...I don't see what difference it could make. Everyone else can't possibly hate us any more than they already do now."

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. Let's go enjoy ourselves for a change." She took both her friends' hands and led them to the dance floor. The Doctor merely followed behind, not saying a word.

The DJ announced from the stage, "The next song is by one of our hottest singers of today...Robert Palmer!"

There was a clapping and cheering from everyone in the gym, bar some adults who merely shook their heads, not listening to this "new music" like the high schoolers did.

"You used to look good to me, and now I find you, Crittendon Seniors...Simply Irresistible!" The familiar guitar strains began, and suddenly everyone began to jump up and down, shrieking happily.

_Robert Palmer - Simply Irresistible_

How can it be permissible  
She compromise my principle, yeah yeah  
That kind of love is mythical  
She's anything but typical

She's a craze you'd endorse, she's a powerful force  
You're obliged to conform when there's no other course  
She used to look good to me, but now I find her

Simply irresistible  
Simply irresistible

Her loving is so powerful, huh  
It's simply unavoidable  
The trend is irreversible  
The woman is invincible

She's a natural law, and she leaves me in awe  
She deserves the applause, I surrender because  
She used to look good to me, but now I find her

Simply irresistible  
Simply irresistible

Simply irresistible she's so fine, there's no tellin' where the money went  
Simply irresistible she's all mine, there's no other way to go

She's unavoidable, I'm backed against the wall  
She gives me feelings like I never felt before  
I'm breaking promises, she's breaking every law  
She used to look good to me, but now I find her

Simply irresistible  
She's so fine, there's no tellin' where the money went  
Simply irresistible she's all mine, there's no other way to  
Go

She's so fine, there's no tellin' where the money went  
Simply irresistible she's all mine, there's no other way to go  
She's so fine, there's no tellin' where the money went  
Simply irresistible she's all mine, there's no other way to go

Simply irresistible

For once in her life, Michelle simply danced, not paying attention to the way her hips were swaying or how good it was, or her "Jell-O Jiggler" arms, as she called them. She sweated like a pig, ignoring a cat call of "Lose some weight!" that echoed here or there, and her surprised friends bopped around at her side. At the end of the song, everyone threw their arms into the air in unison, and then cheered like mad. Even the Doctor had been getting into it somewhat.

Michelle grinned at her friends, feeling superior. "See? I told you we could be as hot as the supermodels in that video if we wanted to be."


	10. Take Me In Your Arms

Michelle suddenly found herself surrounded by tons of people. "Heck, Michelle, where'd you learn to dance like that?"

She could only smile. "Oh, I have my sources."

"Want to share the slow dance with me?" One kid pointed up to the stage. "It's about to start!"

Another boy interrupted, "Screw that, she's dancing with _me_!"

The DJ announced, "Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we're gonna slow things down a bit here. From my favorite album ever, this is Don Henley of the Eagles with 'Sunset Grill.' Every guy, grab a girl, everywhere around the world!"

Michelle looked at her friends nearby. "Uh...tell you what, guys. These lovely ladies here need some partners. I've actually got someone with me tonight." Pointing at Laura and Alice, she then reached out and beckoned to the Doctor.

He sidled over to her. "You don't mind dancing with a gay guy all of a sudden?"

She smirked. "Nah, I think you might actually be bisexual. That's okay with me." Awkwardly the Doctor put Michelle's arms around his waist.

Michelle looked upon him sympathetically. "You hate this, don't you? Have you ever danced with a human before?"

"Oh, many times, but I don't think I've ever quite done a goodbye dance before."

_Don Henley - Sunset Grill_

Let's go down to the sunset grill  
We can watch the working girls go by  
Watch the "basket people" walk around and  
mumble  
And stare out at the auburn sky

There's an old man there from the Old World  
To him, it's all the same  
Calls all his customers by name  
Down at the Sunset Grill  
Down at the Sunset Grill  
Down at the Sunset Grill  
Down at the Sunset Grill

The Doctor looked at Michelle wistfully as they slow danced. "What are you thinking about?" she asked carefully.

"Oh, sometimes some people have an opening to the universe when they write music. Don Henley is one of those people. He just...seems to understand things that not everyone else does."

She could not help but notice the profound sadness in the gaze of the Doctor. "This song hurts you?"

"I am the Old Man, Michelle. Everything is the same and it never ends. The Universe is the Sunset Grill."

_You see a lot more meanness in the city  
It's the kind that will eat you up inside  
Hard to come away with anything that feels  
Like dignity  
Hard to get home with any pride_

These days a man makes you something  
And you never see his face  
But there is no hiding place  
Down at the Sunset Grill  
Down at the Sunset Grill  
Down at the Sunset grill  
Down at the Sunset Grill

Respectable little murders pay  
They get more respectable every day  
Don't worry girl, I'm gonna stick by you  
And someday soon we're gonna get in that  
Car and get outta here

Michelle said, "Your car is the TARDIS, Doctor. You can go anywhere or any place you want to. You can get away."

_Let's go down to the sunset grill  
Watch the working girls go by  
Watch the "basket people" walk around and  
mumble  
And gaze out at the auburn sky_

Maybe we'll leave come springtime  
Meanwhile, have another beer  
What would we do without all these jerks  
anyway?  
Besides, all our friends are here

Down at the Sunset Grill  
Down at the Sunset Grill  
Down at the Sunset Grill  
Down at the Sunset Grill

The Doctor answered, "Yes, I can get away to anywhere I want. But I can't escape the feeling."

Suddenly, without warning, Michelle planted a passionate kiss on the lips of the Doctor. It seemed to last forever, and then she noticed through her peripheral vision that everyone was staring at them.

Michelle flushed bright red. "Erm, it's okay. He's gay. He didn't really like it."

"What? Oh, no, no, no, that was...no." The Doctor shook his head. "Didn't like that in the slightest."

Not fully convinced, everyone went back to their own things.

******

Later, after the Prom King and Queen were announced, and some typical preppy couple won, the DJ opened a slip of paper given to him by the Prom Queen. "Oh, it looks like we have another award here...for Miss Dark Horse, who did something tonight completely unlike her usual self by dancing in front of everybody. And the Miss Dark Horse award goes to...Senior Michelle Reynolds!"

Surprised as hell, Michelle didn't move until Laura and Alice pushed her up onto the stage. She was given a small bouquet of pink roses and a rhinestone tiara. "Wow...uh, thanks to you all. And especially thanks to my best friend, 'Dorky Doctor' John Smith. Um, if you don't mind, Mr. DJ, I have a special dedication I'd like to make." She whispered something in his ear, and the DJ announced, "It looks like we have a featured performance coming from Seniors Michelle Reynolds, Laura Mulligan and Alice Perkins. They just need a moment to get changed."

******

There had been a gym bag hidden in the girls' locker room, which Michelle could only surmise that the TARDIS had placed there. But after some reassurances to Laura and Alice, the three of them had dressed like the Blues Brothers, except in plaid skirts and Doc Martens boots in place of any dress pants. They all had microphones.

Up on stage, Michelle announced, "I'd like to dedicate this song to my good friend, the Dorky Doctor. Um, I'll be moving away soon, and won't be seeing him for a long time. But we've had a lot of fun together, and I would like to sing this tune for him. Ready? One...two...three...hit it!"

_Doobie Brothers - Take Me In Your Arms_

I know you're leaving me behind  
I'm seeing you darling for the very last time  
Show a little tenderness before you go  
Please let me feel your embrace once more

Take me in your arms and rock me, rock me a little while

I'm losing you and my happiness  
My life is so dark I must confess  
I'll never, never see your smiling face no more  
I'll never, never hear your knock upon my door  
Before you leave me, leave me behind  
Let me feel happy one more time

Take me in your arms and rock me, rock me a little while

I'm begging you baby (take me take me)  
Oh baby please (take me take me)  
Come on baby (take me)  
Can't you see me on my knees now  
(Take me take me)  
Come on baby (take me take me)  
I'm begging you baby  
Oh baby please, please, please...

Take me in your arms and rock me, rock me a little while

All the while the Doctor watched on the floor, hands in his pockets and laughing hysterically while the three of them danced like John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd. It was one of the best moments of his 900+ years of existence.

******

After the prom was over, Michelle reluctantly said goodbye to Laura and Alice, and told them she would see them tomorrow. As they both departed to their car, the Doctor and Michelle watched them leave.

"They won't remember me, will they?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Sadly, no. But they both turn out to lead great lives. One becomes a nurse and one plays in a successful band when she grows up. They both marry and live long and happy lives."

Michelle nodded. "Good. I'm glad. They deserve it."

The two of them walked in silence back to the TARDIS. "Is this the part where you take me back now?"

The Doctor unlaced his neck tie. "Listen, uh...you gave me a great present, and I have something for you too." He opened the TARDIS door and handed Michelle an identical suitcase to the one she'd been carrying when they first met.

"What's this?"

"It's what you need to get a life started in the 80's."

Michelle looked at the Doctor, shocked. "You mean...I'm actually going to get to stay here?"

The Doctor nodded. "You have a change of clothes for a week, and enough money for a deposit on an apartment and for a month of food until you can find a job. The TARDIS has given you another identity and you should be able, if you can keep your wits about you and keep your knowledge of the future to yourself, to get a job very soon and begin your new existence."

Touched, she asked, "But why? You were so insistent that I could never do it."

"Well, after spending this time with you, I know that you can. And you've made me happy, and you've made me laugh. What more can I ask for? You deserve it too."

"What about you though?"

"Oh, I'll keep doing what I've always done...I'll keep on traveling and seeing new places. I might drop in a time or two, see how you are doing. _Molto bene_."

Michelle said shakily, "Okay." She reached out and the Doctor embraced her warmly. "So...I guess this is it then. So long?"

"This is it."

"Well...goodbye!" She giggled, not sure if she should walk away or not.

"Goodbye, Michelle Reynolds, you've been..."

*****

And just then...a clap of thunder. The Doctor looked up, expecting rain to begin pouring down, but instead a shower of glowing green light fell upon them both.

A look of absolute horror came upon his face. "No...not here, not now!"

"What?" Michelle asked frantically. "What's happened?"

"They've found us...I don't know how, but they've found us!"

"Who??" she demanded. "Who has found us???"

The expression on his face was grim. "The Kedron. They're back."


	11. Run Like Hell

The Doctor urged, "Go. We need to get out of here."

Michelle demanded, "And go where? It's just some green light, are you sure that this isn't the Aurora Borealis or something?"

"RUN!" The Doctor roughly pushed Michelle backwards and the TARDIS vanished, just as a fireball rocketed down from the sky and slammed into the ground where the blue box had been just a second before. He leaped out of the way and grabbed her hand, yanking her along in a mad dash away from the flames.

_Pink Floyd - Run Like Hell_

Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run,  
Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run.  
You better make your face up in  
Your favorite disguise.  
With your button down lips and your  
Roller blind eyes.  
With your empty smile  
And your hungry heart.  
Feel the bile rising from your guilty past.  
With your nerves in tatters  
When the cockleshell shatters  
And the hammers batter  
Down the door.  
You'd better run.

Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run,  
Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run.  
You better run all day  
And run all night.  
Keep your dirty feelings  
Deep inside.  
And if you're taking your girlfriend  
Out tonight  
You'd better park the car  
Well out of sight.  
Cause if they catch you in the back seat  
Trying to pick her locks,  
They're gonna send you back to Mother  
In a cardboard box.  
You better run.

"Slow down!" gasped Michelle in asthmatic fits. "I can't keep up!"

"No time!" With a whooshing sound, more fireballs shot down from the heavens. The Doctor frantically pulled Michelle down the hill and across the high school's football field. Random screams and obscenities could be heard from the terrified high school students.

Michelle wrenched her hand free and began to sprint towards the parking lot, where the little gray Honda Civic was still sitting. She knew her friends from the prom were inside, preparing to depart. "Laura! Alice! Get out of the car, before you..."

An explosion rocked the campus as a fireball hit the car, and the debris flew in all directions. In devastated shock, Michelle began to scream. "No! They were my friends!" She reached out to the wreckage in sheer grief, when she saw the flash of a trenchcoat and a pair of arms encircled her shoulders. The Doctor grabbed her tightly and forcibly pulled her away.

"No!" Michelle screeched. "We can't just leave them there!"

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. We can't stay; it's imperative that we get as far north as we can."

"Why? How will that help us?"

"If I can get to magnetic north, I can bring the TARDIS back and hide it in the EM fields. The Kedron can't detect temporal shifts as much when the environment is highly magnetized."

Michelle was aghast. "Enough with the technobabble! The Kedron are destroying Crittendon, Ohio and you want to reach the North Pole?"

"The magnetic North Pole, actually."

"Whatever! People are dying out there, Spaz! Can't we stay and fight them, beat back the Kedron? Can't you do some fancy calibrations with that screwdriver of yours?"

The Doctor did not look up. "I'm doing that as we speak. The screwdriver can lead us to the most northern magnetic point in the city."

Michelle snapped, "I don't want a glorified compass, I want some way we can kill those damn aliens!"

"I don't kill. That's not how a Time Lord lives."

"Great! Now we get to find out how a Time Lord _dies_ because you refuse to do anything about the situation!"

"Killing doesn't always have to be involved. I just need to get to the TARDIS, and deactivate the Jewel of the Kedron..."

"My God, is destroying something that sinful, that horrible an option? Have you ever shot anything in your whole damn existence? Ever squished a bug without having a guilty conscience over the whole thing?"

"Now is not the time for philosophical debate!" shouted the Doctor. Surprised, Michelle fell silent, hearing the distant rumble of more fireballs falling to Earth. "Do you want to survive? Start heading north!" His back was turned, entering the final coding into the sonic screwdriver.

A sudden rush of wind blew back the Doctor's hair, but he did not notice.

*****

"There. That should do it!" The Doctor pointed the screwdriver forward, and it emitted a pulsating beam. "Ready?"

There was no reply. "I'll take your silence as acquiescence. Ladies first in our hurried journey!"

The Doctor spun around to beckon to Michelle...and found himself staring at only a pair of footprints in the soil where she had been standing moments earlier.

A gnawing fear bit through his abdomen. "Michelle?"

Several showers of golden sparks rained down through the air. The Doctor quickly recalibrated the screwdriver and did a scan. It registered signs of a Kedron teleporter.

"_Bollocks!_"


	12. Land of Confusion

The inside of the alien spacecraft was harshly lit in shades of red. It seemed to magnify the enormous sense of heat coming off all the instruments. And it was making Michelle sweat heavily.

"Seriously, can we turn down the volcano? You could use the excess energy to shoot more of those flaming projectiles you guys have. Any particular reason why you're attacking a high school? Besides the fact you guys weren't invited to their prom, of course..."

"Silence!" The voice emanating from one of the Kedron was both hissing and guttural at the same time. Michelle was shackled in a pair of silvery-blue handcuffs and leg irons. She shuffled along a narrow corridor, flanked by six Kedron, three in front and three behind. They wore hooded black robes like those of Gregorian monks. It made it impossible to see their faces. "Stop the incessant human chatter, serve her head upon a platter!" gurgled one alien behind her.

There was a series of growls from the first alien in line. "Hold thy tongue, keep thy self still, this human alive is the Chanter Rusk's will."

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Rhyming aliens...super."

"March forth!" ordered the first alien. They all seemed to walk at a steady pace. feet thudding on the metallic flooring.

Michelle quipped, "This is the world we live in, and these are the hands we're given, use them and let's start trying, to make this a place worth living in!"

There was only a chilling lack of responsiveness from the aliens.

"Guess no one likes 'Land of Confusion.' Shame, that is."

"Quiet!" the back alien snarled once again.

"Who is Chanter Rusk?" Michelle attempted to ask. "Since you obviously have no sense of humor, maybe you'll at least let me know who he is? Are you 'taking me to your leader?' _Klaatu barada nikto_?"

"You have been told, you have been warned, now feel the wrath and feel my scorn!" What looked like a cattle prod was jammed into Michelle's ribs. Sharp jolts of electricity and pain jarred her teeth and insides.

"Ahhh! All right, all right, I'll shut up!" Glaring, Michelle pursed her lips and allowed herself to be led down a set of stairs and into a wide, open area. A viewscreen looked upon the planet Earth. Below that, a long camouflage green platform flanked by a railing of gun-metal gray stretched across the room. Lighted instrument panels were on all sides of the platform. A high backed chair of a dark-colored material stood directly in the middle of the scenery.

The first alien spoke. "Oh Great Chanter Rusk, we present the prisoner."

A voice came from the chair, though the seat did not rotate in her direction. "Step forward, Human Michelle Reynolds."

"Um, let me think about it...no."

The shocking weapon was stabbed into her back once more. With a yelp, Michelle pitched forward and landed on her knees, her head striking the back of the chair. Immediately she scooted away from the chair, but did not get far.

Slowly, the chair turned. There was another alien in a hooded black robe in the chair, whose face she could not see. A reddish-gold star was pinned on his robe. Reddish eyes seemed to glow from inside the hood.

Michelle swallowed nervously. "You must be Chanter Rusk."

"An apt deduction." There were alternative hissing and maraca-like noises, such as those of a rattlesnake. "Do not lie to me, do not play a fool, I demand the location of the Jewel."

Behind her back, Michelle clenched her fists. "I don't have it. Not anymore."

"Then you will tell me where it is."

"I _said_-- I. Don't. Have. It. If I don't have it, I don't know where it is. Get it?"

"So you say. Very well. I adjust to the necessities of this time and place, I know humans deal best face to face." With gloved fingers he reached up and pulled back his hood to reveal a skeletal face. Opening his toothy mouth, a snake-like head crawled from the back of his throat.

The other Kedron simultaneously pulled back their hoods to reveal similar faces, with similar appendages. They recited, "Time and again, we are, we have been, time and again, we are, we have been..."

Horrified, Michelle began to scream.

Bottom of Form


	13. Silent Running

High above the Earth floated a ship that looked like a Stealth Bomber, which wavered and flickered in the golden light of temporal flux. It was two football fields wide and one football field long, with fang-like protrusions extending from the ship's nose. And on the other side of the bow, a blue Police Box slowly landed and seemed to affix itself to the side like a suction cup.

The Doctor urgently opened a trapdoor in the floor of the TARDIS. "Sailing, sailing, over the bounding main..." He pointed his sonic screwdriver at the solid black surface underneath.

There was a whirring sound, a slight hiss, and then a flap opened. The thrumming of engines could be heard, and a soft red glow emanated from within.

The Doctor whistled the next few notes, and put away the sonic screwdriver in his coat pocket. "Breaking and entering today!" he sang, before sliding his skinny form through the hole and entering the ship.

*****

Aboard the Kedron spaceship, Michelle was pinned to a chair. "Please, let me go...I swear I don't know anything!"

Chanter Rusk paced slowly back and forth before her eyes. "Nonsense. Though we hear your protests unfurled, no doubt you wish to avoid the destruction of your home world?"

A brief look came over Michelle's face. "Oh, so that's the plan. I thought this was a bad action movie. By all means, blow it up. Earth has never been particularly good for me."

"You play pretend, prepare to defend," growled Rusk. "No human is capable of melding with the Jewel, and hiding their discovery for this long." He slapped a gloved hand alongside Michelle's head and yanked her hair back. A fiery pain shot through her neck.

"Ow, watch the whiplash!" What looked like a stick of light was passed quietly over her face. Michelle winced as the glow penetrated her eyes.

Whatever the device was, it seemed to awaken the old feeling. The whispers and humming of before began to echo in her head. It was just like Stonehenge. "The music...God help me, it's the same melody as before." Michelle's heart pounded in fear.

"Ahhh..." A ghastly smile came over the face of Chanter Rusk. "She senses it. The Jewel is nearby. More specifics you will speak, or your future will be bleak."

"Stop this!" begged Michelle. "I can't tell you anything more!"

"Liar!"

"I mean it, I'm telling the truth! I don't know how to give you any more information!"

There was a hissing coming from the snake head in the mouth of Chanter Rusk. "This is the truth. Nonetheless...bring the instrument, physician."

"What instrument? _What instrument_??" Sweat dripped down Michelle's forehead.

Chanter Rusk chuckled evilly and patted Michelle on the shoulder in a repulsive fashion. ""Be not afraid. We are merely going to...enhance your ability to tell us the location of the Jewel."

An awful mechanical-drilling sound began. The physician held up the tool, and Michelle went white. It appeared to be a cranial saw, like those used to open the skulls of corpses.

Chanter Rusk appeared to notice the terrified recognition on Michelle's face. "Very close in your guess. However, this tool, it is not so forgiving, it only operates on the living."

"But, but..." Michelle started to hyperventilate in panic. "Novocaine! Anaesthetic! I need it to live!!"

"You will survive. Our technology can compensate for the weakness of the human brain. Pain is irrelevant."

The physician began to advance toward Michelle slowly.

"No, please...no!!"

*****

Among the Kedron that shuffled back and forth in the spaceship, a close observer would have noticed that one of them was wearing Converse sneakers and quietly placing devices on every reachable surface possible. The Doctor had stolen a robe from the cloak room and was surreptitiously rigging the spaceship with temporal charges. The resulting explosion would not kill the aliens, but would send their spaceship back to the very beginning, the Big Bang. Poetic justice, he thought.

The detonator for the devices was in one coat pocket and the Jewel in the other. He intended to use it to negotiate the release of Michelle, if he could find her. Along the corridors he walked, glancing in every direction and calling her name softly.

_Mike and the Mechanics - Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)_

Take the children and yourself  
And hide out in the cellar  
By now the fighting will be close at hand  
Don't believe the church and state  
And everything they tell you  
Believe in me, I'm with the high command

Can you hear me, can you hear me running?  
Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?  
Can you hear me, can you hear me running?  
Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?

There's a gun and ammunition  
Just inside the doorway  
Use it only in emergency  
Better you should pray to God  
The father and the spirit  
Will guide you and protect from up here

Can you hear me, can you hear me running?  
Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?  
Can you hear me, can you hear me running?  
Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?

Swear allegiance to the flag  
Whatever flag they offer  
Never hint at what you really feel  
Teach the children quietly  
For some day sons and daughters  
Will rise up and fight while we stood still

Can you hear me running (can you hear me calling you?)  
(can you hear me) hear me calling you?  
(can you hear me running) hear me running babe?  
(can you hear me running) hear me running?  
Calling you, calling you

*****

Minutes later, the damage was done. Michelle slowly rocked back and forth in the chair like a mental patient. A bloodied band traced the circumference of her skull, and wires strung from her head to the console.

"The operation is complete," hissed the physician.

"Well done," complimented Rusk. "Now...do you hear us, human?"

"Hear you," repeated Michelle, her eyes blank. "Hear you, hear you. Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you? Doctor? Michelle, where are you? Can you hear me? Can you hear me running?"

Rusk frowned, puzzled. "Who is the Doctor?"

"No name, no name, no name...just the Doctor. Spanners! Oi, watch it spaceman! Watch it Earth girl!"

"Adjust the frequency, physician." The physician turned a dial on the console, and Michelle suddenly froze in place. A wicked leer came over her face.

Her head lolled over and she spoke to Chanter Rusk. "He is here. The Doctor is on board. You had better find him...he has the Jewel, and he plans to destroy us. He is almost here, Chanter! On the deck above with his bombs and the Jewel!" She burst into manic laughter.

Chanter Rusk grabbed Michelle by the shirt collar and yanked her out of the chair. "Identify this Doctor!"

She stopped laughing. "Your enemy. The last of the Time Lords. Bring him to me. I have...words for him."

Chanter Rusk accessed the comm system. "Security to all decks. The Time Lord is aboard! Locate him and arrest him."

Like a swarm, the Kedron dashed about the ship.

*****

The swiftness and accuracy was almost sickening. A group, similar to the one that had captured Michelle led a form down the stairs. They chanted in unison, "The intruder is caught, the intruder is found, the intruder is caught, the intruder is found..."

Michelle cackled, "Your shoes give you away, Doctor! What had you planned? Never mind, it does not matter now. Your plan has failed. Bring him!"

Chanter Rusk nodded. The security team thrust the form in front of Michelle and yanked off his hood. The Doctor glared angrily at the Kedron surrounding him.

Then he saw Michelle and the rage turned to pain and anguish. "What have you done to her? _I demand you tell me what you've done to her!_"

Michelle only rested her head against her chest, eyes looking cruelly upwards at his face.


	14. Say It Isn't So

Sweat beaded on the Doctor's forehead, as he pulled forward to get closer to Michelle but was restrained by the Kedron. "She needs medical attention...you're not taking the human physiology into account! I have to fix the damage!"

Chanter Rusk sounded bored. "By orbit of Kedron's long lost moon, she's in no danger at any time soon. Fear not."

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "I know you're in there, Michelle. Are you all right? Does it hurt badly?"

A sigh escaped Michelle's lips. "Pain is irrelevant." The words sounded hollow, as though they were echoing someone else's opinion.

She stood up, revealing that the wires connecting her to the console were much longer than they previously appeared. They gave her room to walk around, enough to the point that she could face the Doctor directly and fold her arms. "How does it feel to finally have a situation out of your control, Time Lord?"

He smiled wryly. "I wouldn't call this the first time that things were out of my control...what with having been in existence for over 900 years, anyway..."

"Wit, always wit, to conceal the hurt within. But I know, Time Lord! There is nothing you can hide from me now. I've seen their faces and heard their voices. Donna Noble, Astrid Peth...Katarina, Sara Kingdom, Adric...the list goes on, shall I continue?"

The Doctor's eyes became steely. "Rusk, you're making her spout your rubbish. Do you seriously think that you're going to affect my judgment by what Michelle says under Kedron influence?"

"Doctor, do me a favor and please shut up for a change!" snapped Michelle. "I see the truth now and be assured that I do speak for myself. If you think this pathetic friendship of ours, if that is what you call it, will make any change to the Kedron plans, you are sorely mistaken. Be assured that I will not stray from my task...and be assured that I can smell the blood on your hands. You killed them. All of them. Your supposed 'friends'."

He swallowed. "All my companions come with me of their own free will. They know of the dangers involved...and I would give my life time and again for each and every one. Yours as well."

In the psionic Michelle's mind a statement appeared that she knew to be truth, though the Doctor would never freely admit it. _I loved all of them...and they loved me._ She clapped her hands to her temple. "Get out of my head, Time Lord! A thousand of your deaths could never compare...you regenerate; they cannot." A guttural growl came from her throat. "The Jewel is on board...the Doctor carries it in his pocket! Take it from him, now!"

The Doctor's face fell slightly as the red pendant with a broken chain was pulled from his lengthy trench coat by the Kedron flanking him. They then appeared to stand and wait for further instruction.

Michelle rolled her eyes in sheer irritation. "Fools! Do you not recognize the many pockets of this coat? He would be the end of us all had you missed these items!" Of her own accord she stepped forward and tore through the rest of the coat, dropping temporal charges, a detonator, and the sonic screwdriver.

Chanter Rusk grinned, hissing through gaping teeth. "Quite clever for a human. A true gift it is, the second sight, helping to make wrong into right."

The Doctor stared, horrified. "It's not true...you can't possibly be on their side! You've ruined everything!"

"By the beating of your two hearts, the human merely influences Destiny's part. You do naught but encourage your own destruction, trying to sabotage our ship." He turned to the rest of his crew members. "Find the rest of the charges, and deactivate them."

Michelle laughed dryly as the Kedron crew members scattered throughout various parts of the ship to locate the temporal bombs. "Look at the anguish on his face! Give me that screwdriver...I must see this toy once more before we destroy it." She grabbed the sonic screwdriver and mockingly pointed it at the Doctor, eliciting a chuckle from Chanter Rusk.

"You can't do this, Michelle." begged the Doctor. "You must hear me out. I'm sorry I didn't tell you enough about my homeworld, but this is very important. The planet Kedron had an opening in the fabric of reality...an access to a portal called the Untempered Schism. Gallifrey had this too. Believe me when I tell you that there is _no_ sanity with the Kedron...the Schism enveloped their whole planet. The Schism has driven members of my people mad...the entire Kedron _race_ is completely warped because of this Schism! They provide only madness!"

In an instant she was back in his face. "They provide me with clarity! This is something Time Lords can never give! No one needs humanity around...the universe is better without it!"

"I can provide more...I have more to give..."

Michelle walked back and forth rapidly. "Like an eternal road trip? No, Doctor. I must be grounded. No more visits to places like the planet Barcelona, where the dogs have no noses." She stopped her pacing for a moment. "A stupid name for a planet." For a moment, she sounded like her old self.

The Doctor gave a relieved laugh. "You're right. It's an absolutely stupid name for a planet." Hope rose within him that maybe he could still get through to his companion.

"Don't smile too soon, Time Lord. Do you wish to know the, as humans say it, method to our 'madness'?" Chanter Rusk breathed heavily.

The Doctor became stonyfaced. "I already know how it works, Rusk. The Jewel will power the temporal drill, and deterraform the planet Earth till you can build a new Kedron. That's why you were so eager to get your hands on it...you need it to resurrect your planet. But why _Earth_? There are plenty of empty planets throughout the universe that can be made into a new Kedron!"

"It is simple, Time Lord. We take revenge. Our planet was destroyed, and--"

"By your _own people_!"

"Silence! Someone must pay, and the time is today. Humanity is the only choice."

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Do you two have all century to argue? Can't we just put him in the brig and get to work?"

Chanter Rusk nodded. "The human speaks sensibly. Take away the Doctor; as far from the human Michelle Reynolds as possible. I do not want him to...bias her opinion any further."

The Doctor did not resist or struggle, but could not seem to walk, so he was physically dragged away to a holding cell. Michelle called out tauntingly, "Rethink your _backward_ ideals, Doctor! The Kedron shall prevail! Rethink your _backward_ ideals!"

He said nothing in response.

****

Michelle looked down at the sonic screwdriver in her hands. "A useless toy," she muttered. Pressing a button on the console opened a panel on the wall labeled "Combustion Disposal", into which she tossed the screwdriver.

No one noticed, however, the sequence of three extra keys that she pressed after the panel closed.


	15. Go Insane

The Kedron worked feverishly over the next several hours, securing the Jewel in the center of the temporal drill that was to deterraform Earth. A nightmarish ray-like weapon of gigantic proportions extended from the top of the Kedron ship, pointing directly at the Earth's North Pole. This was visible from the ship's main viewscreen.

Michelle scowled at Chanter Rusk. "I trust that since I have pledged my allegiance to you, I can be released from these wires." The Kedron had thrown a dark cloak over her garish prom dress.

"In time. You shall be free, once our task is complete," said Chanter Rusk dismissively.

"You _promised_ me that I would be safe if I let you use my psionic abilities to help you find the Jewel."

"An amusing viewpoint, that you 'let' us use your abilities. You had no choice in the matter."

"Nonetheless..." she muttered. "How is it that I was drawn to the Jewel in the beginning?"

"It is a pointless discussion to have. All humans carry a gene of dormant psionic ability. Yours was merely...awakened." Chanter Rusk turned to face Michelle. "In return for your 'safety', as you call it, looking upon Earth's destruction will be necessary."

"This does not frighten me. I am more than capable of watching it." Michelle looked with disinterest at the screen. "Will it be a painless death for the citizens of Earth?"

Chanter Rusk laughed dryly. "Far from it. When the temporal energy strikes a carbon-based life form, the creature is essentially burned from the inside out. A quick death, yes, but very agonizing." He pressed a series of commands on the console. "A demonstration, if you will."

A beam of blue light shot forth from the Jewel, slamming into one of the workers. His snake-like tongue stretched forth in a scream of pain as orange-yellow flames enveloped his body, revealing a sinewy muscular system underneath, before it collapsed to the floor in a pile of black ash. And, just like in an ant colony or beehive, another worker scrambled to take his place.

"I...see." Though Michelle's expression remained neutral, her face had gone ashen. She quickly faced the wall. "Is the life support system active in the brig?"

"It is functional...an antiquated system, but functional nonetheless. Why do you ask?"

She dug her fingernails into her palm. "I want the Doctor to be alive to see the new Kedron. And to see Earth die. To see Martha Jones and Donna Noble perish..." There was a bitter pause. "Though Ms. Noble has already died, I suppose, when he returned her to being a mindless chatterbox. I want him to know what it's like to be left behind."

Chanter Rusk curled a skeletal hand around Michelle's arm. "You have discovered the truth now. He finds his companions to be meaningless. Especially you." A smile spread across his teeth like ooze. "You are fortunate to have joined our cause. In fact, I believe that he finds _you_ to be the most worthless of them all."

An angry tear slid down Michelle's cheek. "I know."

"But enough of this talk about the Doctor. He will be dead soon, along with the rest of the humans. There is more to being worthy of our race than watching a planet's doom. You must stare it down, and survive."

"Survive? What is 'it'?" Michelle looked at Rusk suspiciously.

"You will know soon enough. Masks!" At the order, the Kedron spun as one unit and faced a green panel on the floor under the temporal drill. Over the faces of the aliens morphed a featureless brown skin of a smooth blankness. Chanter Rusk pressed a button, and the panel in the floor slowly opened.

"Wait...what are you doing???" A deafening roar met Michelle's ears. In the panel, a howling, swirling tornado of light greeted her vision. Millions of voices swirled and racked her brain, while a dull sound endlessly thudded in the background. Like drums.

"_No!_ Make it stop!!! There's too many of them!" Michelle clapped her hands over her ears. "_I can't look!_"

"You will gaze upon the Schism until we tell you to cease. It is the Vortex!"

A sudden vision of a single, dark haired man placed itself front and center in Michelle's mind. Intuitively she felt as though it was someone the Doctor knew. Almost as though she was looking through the Doctor's eyes, the man turned directly to her and asked, "Do the drums ever stop?"

Michelle screamed in terror.

And then a voice, calm and powerful, both masculine and feminine, cut through the static.

**Hear me. The Schism is madness. Be not like the dark haired man.**

"What?"

**Close your eyes. Look away. You will not suffer the Vortex.**

"But I can't!"

_**You must look away.**_

With every last ounce of strength, Michelle squeezed her eyes shut and wrenched her gaze away from the Schism. "No, no...I won't, I refuse!!" She ripped the wires from the console, ignoring the searing pain that burned her mind. "The Doctor will defeat you! He'll save the Earth!"

The panel door slammed shut. Chanter Rusk's voice was now a deadly hiss. "You will not join us? Very well. It is decided. Your use to us has ended."

Skeletal hands closed in on the body of Michelle Reynolds, as her cries of terror and pleas for the Doctor's help echoed throughout the ship.


	16. Escape

Meanwhile, deep within the bowels of the Kedron ship, the sonic screwdriver drifted lazily down a long shaft toward the lava-hot "Combustion Disposal" chamber, the collective garbage facility for the entire ship. Anti-gravity assisted the instrument as it floated closer and closer...but then made a sudden sharp right turn and entered a small opening labeled, "Life Support." Flipping end over end, it made its way through the air duct systems.

****

There was one occupied cell in the otherwise empty brig. Though its tungsten-carbide door was tightly locked, this did not mean the occupant inside was not frantically trying to break free. No guards were present as all the Kedron were on the bridge, trying to prepare the temporal drill.

The Doctor interlaced his fingers and swung his fists repeatedly at the door. Unfortunately, the action could not make the door budge. It did not even dent the metal.

"Damn!" He shook his hand and sucked in air through his teeth. "I've got blisters on me fingers...bad Ringo impressions abound."

Frustrated, he began to pace back and forth. "Anybody got a bobby pin? Dead brilliant for breaking out of locked passages. Oh wait...only girls wear those." In truth, he had begun to panic a little bit, his mind racing. There were of course _millions_ of ways to stop the Kedron, but they all involved actually getting out of the cell first.

The air vent placed just at ceiling height blew a tepid, room-temperature wind into the cell. It had been fairly quiet, save for the obvious age of the vent, but now it was beginning to make loud noises. _Clang...clang...clang...clang..._

"Aaagh, rusty old machinery. Shut up, will you? I'm trying to think!" But now, there was an obvious rattle to the repeated sounds.

There was a flat plank attached to the wall by its edge that served as a bed. Curious, the Doctor climbed up onto the 'bed' and stared directly into the vent. "What's this, then?"

CRUNCH! The weakened metal of the vent could take no more, and the object that had been bouncing off the inside now burst through, and hit him directly on the forehead. He took a brief tumble off the bed and landed on his back. The object plunked onto the floor next to him.

"Old ships, old parts..." he grumbled, but then a wide grin broke out across his face when he saw what it really was. "My sonic screwdriver! I _love_ my sonic screwdriver!" It was, of course, in the 'on' position.

He could almost hear what Michelle would say if she was standing next to him. _The situation is broken, Spaz...you need to fix it._

The Doctor leapt to his feet. "Michelle must have sent it to me...that means she's still in there somewhere!" He tapped it against his teeth, pacing just a bit more.

And then he spun around like an expert gunslinger. "Ah _ha_! Ohhhh...that's gooooood. That's really good. 'Reverse my backward ideals.' Can't believe I didn't think of it in the first place. If I create a feedback loop in the ship's computer, the central processor will cause the temporal drill's ray to fire backwards into the ship, instead of striking Earth!"

The Doctor began to spring up and down with excitement on his heels. "Time to get out of here...and once again, run like hell!" He aimed the sonic screwdriver at the door and fired. The door didn't just open, it was blown off its pneumatic hinges.

The imaginary Michelle called after him, "Run, Spaz, run...run like the wind! You run like a girl!"

"Yes!" he echoed happily, as he sprinted down the corridors from the brig on his way to the engine room. "I most definitely run like a girl!" The Doctor could almost ignore the stupid music that was playing in his head.

_Journey - Escape_

He's just a young boy out of school  
Livin' his world like he wants to  
They're makin' laws, but they don't understand  
Turns a boy in to a fightin' man  
They won't take me  
They won't break me  
No one could tell him what to do  
Had to learn everything the hard way  
He's on the street, breakin' all the rules  
I'm tellin' you that he's nobody's fool  
They won't take me  
They won't break me  
Now he's leavin', gettin' out from this masquerade  
Oh gotta go

I'm finally out in the clear and I'm free  
I've got dreams I'm livin' for  
I'm movin' on where they'll never find me  
Rollin' on to anywhere  
I'll break away, yes I'm on my way  
Leavin' today, yes I'm on my way  
Just when you think you had it all figured out  
Runnin' scared can change your mind  
I never knew I had so much to give  
How hard times can fool ya  
Oh I'm okay, I'm alright  
Feelin' good out on your own  
I'll break away, I'll break away tonight  
I've got dreams I'm livin' for  
I'll break away  
Yes, I'm on my way  
I'm leaving', leavin' today  
Yes, I'm on my way  
This is my escape  
Yes, I'm on my way  
I'll break away  
Yes, I'm on my way


	17. In The Air Tonight

Upon the bridge of the ship, Michelle Reynolds lay bruised and battered in a crumpled heap. She was unconscious, having been shoved off into a corner. Chanter Rusk had called off the attack on her when it was discovered that the Jewel was now active, and performing at maximum capacity.

"Enter the coordinates for the direct center of Earth's North Pole," he ordered. "Prepare to fire."

In Michelle's clouded mind, the same gender-neutral voice that was heard before spoke again.

_**You must rise. I pray that you hear me. Hear me and rise. He needs your help.**_

She could not reply, as the pain was too great.

_**Hear me,**_ urged the voice again. _**Get up. It is coming, and I want you both safe. I am nothing without Him.**_

Even in the midst of the agony, an insatiable curiosity gripped Michelle. _Who is this "Him"?_

_**The one who has grown me. He is my God. You must help me. Help Him.**_

She knew who the voice was now, and who "He" was. Out of the view of the disinterested Kedron, Michelle began to struggle to sit up.

*******

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Rusk. Woe unto thee, the Doctor is free!" With a mocking smile, the Doctor clenched his fists in a fighting stance.

Chanter Rusk spun around, a phase pistol in his hand that was formerly concealed under his cloak. "_Imbeciles_! You let him escape! _And_ he has obtained that tool back somehow!"

"Oh, don't blame the crew, Rusk. I just have friends in higher places than you do."

Rusk angrily glanced at Michelle, who remained motionless on the floor, eyes closed. For the moment, his suspicions were not aroused. "You will have a prolonged and painful death, Time Lord." He raised the weapon.

The Doctor held up his sonic screwdriver. "Uh uh...if you shoot me, no one will be able to repair the irreparable damage to your computer."

Rusk's eye sockets narrowed. "A trick. A ruse! You are speaking falsehoods!"

"I'm afraid not. I would say that was a fairly stupid thing to do, leaving all your engines and machinery completely unguarded while you and the rest of your crew tended to the temporal drill. But I can't be held responsible for, as my companion would say, your 'dumbass' actions."

He stepped forward slightly. "I put a feedback loop in the central processor. If you don't put your weapon down, or if you make _one wrong move_ towards that control panel, I'll press the button on my screwdriver and the entire ray will spit power backwards into this ship. Your panel will set it off. I can _remotely_ set it off. Either way, you are screwed." He shook his head. "I've got to stop using all these Americanisms..."

Folding his arms, the Doctor continued, "I'm giving you this one last opportunity. Leave this space system now, and do not let me see you near Earth or near my TARDIS ever again. Go back into the Vortex, and find some other place and time to occupy."

Chanter Rusk scoffed. "Merely another Time Lord lie. And if I refuse?"

"Do you really want to take that chance? I don't think you do. I'm not going to repeat myself. Make a hasty exit for the farthest sector from here _now_, or it all goes up in flames."

There was a deathly silence that filled the bridge, as the Doctor and Chanter Rusk faced off against each other. "Very well," hissed Rusk. "I seem to have no choice in the matter."

The Doctor called out, "All right, Michelle, you can get up. Come towards me." He grinned wickedly. "I had hoped she was going to jump you from behind, but it looks as though that won't be necessary."

Wobbling, Michelle had been able to make it to her feet. "Doctor?"

"It's all right, Michelle, take slow steps towards me. We'll get those wires out as soon as the Kedron have gone." He grabbed her hand, and carefully began making his way towards the nearest airlock, waving the sonic screwdriver visibly in case anybody attempted to stop them. "The TARDIS is right outside."

Smirks on their faces, the Kedron watched closely as the Doctor and his companion forced their way through the ranks, until they stood by the airlock. Rusk opened his mouth, and the snake-like head protruded once again. "How quickly the Doctor forgetsssss...we are the sssssame. Thought-based creaturesssss…sssssame technology, sssame capabilities."

"What does he mean by that?" Michelle demanded. "I don't trust him, Spaz. There's no reason for them to just let us walk away. Something is fishy."

"Ignore it; let's just get the hell out of here."

The Doctor reached for the door of the airlock, seemingly oblivious to the dull ticking sound that emanated from somewhere nearby. Michelle's eyes widened in horror. "No…no, no, no…we're not escaping their trap, we've fallen right into it! _Don't you see? They manipulate space and time, like Gallifrey! So does their ship!_"

She grabbed the sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the door. The chameleon circuit lining the door of the airlock suddenly fluctuated, revealing one of the temporal charges magnetically pinned to the door that the Doctor had brought aboard. It was set to explode outward, with five seconds left on the timer.

_My God…they want to kill not just us, but the TARDIS as well!_

"Forgive me, Spaz. I can't let them take the TARDIS." As if in slow motion, Michelle brusquely shoved the Doctor aside, ripped the charge off the door, and leaped to the side, throwing herself on top of it.

***

The energy burst was loud, flickered purple and gold, and completely enveloped Michelle, along with a few other Kedron crew members. The Doctor gave an anguished cry, and rushed to her side.

Chanter Rusk cackled, "Friends in higher places? Friends in need are friends indeed. Friends will be friends. Goodbye, Earth." He pressed the command code on the control panel.

And, just as the Doctor had promised, the feedback loop triggered, firing the ray backwards into the ship. Computer terminals exploded, showering sparks everywhere. Panicked Kedron rushed for the escape pods, but began to scream in terror as they found that their ship was on lockdown, with 30 Terran seconds left to go.

"I didn't lie," managed the Doctor through gritted teeth. He pulled Michelle's arms up over her head, and managing with all of his strength, opened the airlock door, pulled her into the TARDIS, and sailed away in a burst of light.

Flames engulfed Chanter Rusk, as he sat back down in his chair and laughed maniacally. "A good fight, Time Lord! But you are not immortal! Only we, we Kedron, truly live on!"

His laughter could still be heard as the entire Kedron ship imploded in a giant fireball, then faded to nothingness. The space where it had been wavered momentarily as the space/time continuum returned to normal. Crittendon High School was as it had always been, with only something that looked like the Aurora Borealis in the night sky. Graduates still spoke of the colors in the sky that night with fondness years later.

***  
The Doctor laid Michelle flat out on the floor of the TARDIS. Blood poured from her eyes, nose and mouth onto the prom dress. He carefully took off the Kedron cloak, and balled it up into a pillow under her head.

"A foolish, _foolish_ thing to do!" snapped the Doctor. His hands trembled.

Michelle grinned with bloodied teeth. "It had to be done."

He yanked out the stethoscope from his jacket pocket. "Thank you for not taking this, by the way."

The Doctor went to listen to her heart, but she listlessly pushed the metallic circle off her chest. "You're not going to need that."

"Stuff and nonsense. You'll be fine." The Doctor stood up to retrieve some medicine from a cupboard in the TARDIS wall. Michelle grabbed his hand.

"Just…just sit still for a moment in your 900 years, okay Spaz?" She coughed. "Stay by my side, please." Purple and gold lights had begun to sparkle throughout her body.

"You've got to fight it…I know you can make it through this."

Michelle laughed dryly. "You almost sound like you're begging me."

He looked directly at her. "I am."

"I don't…I don't think that begging will be enough this time. What about Laura and Alice?"

The Doctor blinked frantically, trying to keep his eyes clear. "They'll live happy lives. Everyone is safe, thanks to you. The Kedron weapons hitting the school never happened." He interlaced his fingers with hers. "I can't do this again…_can't do this again_!" The last words almost came out as a yell.

She hushed him. "You _can_ do this, Spaz. And yes, in answer to your prior question, it does hurt badly."

He managed, "I'm sorry…I'm–"

"So, so sorry. I know. You're good at that line."

The Doctor took both her hands and placed them on his hips, underneath his coat. "Forgive me…" he stammered, as she had done earlier.

She joked, "All this intimacy and apologies–I feel special! We had so much fun though, didn't we? I…I think…"

"Yes?"

"What a ride…" Michelle burst into painful giggles. "It's like the Phil Collins song. I…I've been waiting for this moment for all my life." Her eyes rolled lazily toward the ceiling. "Oh Lord."

Both eyes closed, and Michelle relaxed visibly, before her body dissolved into a pool of purple and gold light, and was no more.

The Doctor could only stare at the place where she had lain, a bloodied cloak now all that was left. And the TARDIS screamed out in grief.


	18. Only the Lonely

_**No!!**_ screamed the voice of the TARDIS, the one who had been in contact with Michelle all along. _**The one who can speak to me is gone! Not death! Not loss! There's been too much! I keep your essence, I gather you in my arms! He needs you...I need you... I will not fly until you have grown again.**_

A strange blue glow floated aimlessly in the air. It seemed like it was ready to drift away, as they often did...until a bolt of electricity snagged the blueish cloud, and yanked it sharply backwards. There was a *snap*, as the energy was drawn into the ceiling of the TARDIS and vanished. If you blinked, you would have missed it.

***  
It had been a long while since anyone had died in the TARDIS. With each regeneration, the blue box usually stayed calm, knowing that its God was still there, albeit slightly differently. But in this case, like the Doctor, the TARDIS seemed to be shaken to its core. It landed on the planet of Rode Vlaktes, which was nothing but plains of red soil with a few rocks here and there, and refused to go anywhere else.

The Doctor was stuck, alone with his thoughts. So he decided to walk. For miles, walking was all he did, hands in his pockets. He felt numb and achy. Random "what-ifs" criss-crossed his mind. He knew he should have placed the Jewel in its own protective container from the very beginning, something with shielding that would not have been detected as easily as the Kedron had. If only he'd refused to bring her along, if he'd sent her home and taken the Jewel away...

_But that was not what happened, and that's not how I travel. I'm not supposed to travel alone. The TARDIS is built for six people or more. So here it is, and now I'm on my own again. Never more. No more companions. Not ever again._

The flat red plains became even rockier the farther he walked, and he came to a sheer drop-off ahead. Immense heat could be felt emanating from the canyon. He stopped at the edge, and noticed the free flowing lava bed at the very bottom.

Absentmindedly, the Doctor reached up and unzipped his coat. It was revealed underneath the coat that he had the mint blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Between thumb and forefinger, he rubbed the worn satin. It still smelled of sweat and spicy oranges.

He spoke mournfully, "You had it right, you know, Michelle. My 'theme song'. But you didn't get the deeper meaning. I'm sick of fighting, even though I know I should."

Shielding his eyes, the Doctor glanced at the sun. "It's burning up on this planet, but still, the cold is biting through each and every nerve and fiber...my broken spirit is frozen to the core..."

He pulled the blanket free. "And 'I don't want to be here no more.' Thank you for your words, Mr. Kershaw." The Doctor held the blanket out in front of him, and released it. He did not stay to watch as it drifted slowly downward, and burned up in the lava bed.

_The Motels - Only the Lonely_

We walked the loneliest mile  
We smiled without any style  
We kiss altogether wrong  
No intention

We lied about each others' dreams  
We lived without each other thinkin'  
What anyone would do  
Without me and you

It's like I told you  
Only the lonely can play

So hold on here we go  
Hold on to nothin' we know  
I feel so lonely way up here

You mention the time we were together  
So long ago, well I don't remember  
All I know is that it makes me feel good now

It's like I told you  
Only the lonely can play  
Only the lonely  
Only the lonely can play

Only the lonely  
Only the lonely can play  
It's like I told you  
Only the lonely can play  
Only the lonely  
Only the lonely can play

***

"Look, I'm ready to be off, okay? We've been here for at least three Earth days now! You've got your pick of any star system or time/space zone that you want! Isn't it time to quit moping?" The Doctor paced on the TARDIS deck in frustration.

In protest, the TARDIS shuddered.

"What do you mean, 'bloody moody incarnation'? And I'm _not_ bothered, I'm fine!"

He tried to act as though he was happy. "Why don't you take me somewhere that's in a holiday mood? It'll be Christmas soon, after all. Cheer you up, jingle bells and all that."

And then something very strange happened. The TARDIS momentarily spoke in English.

_**I'll "cheer up" when you stop bitching about Rose Tyler.**_

There was a distinctly nasal and female quality to the voice, which was overriding its usual tone. A burst of static came forth, showing a familiar face on the videoscreen.

The Doctor's jaw dropped. "Oh...well then..."


	19. Don't Answer Me

The Doctor grabbed the videoscreen in both hands. "It can't be you...it looks like you, it sounds like you, but it's not possible." He started to walk away, then turned back sharply. "_Is_ it possible?"

Michelle's face was expressionless. "Possible: that may or can be, exist, happen, be done, be used, etc. That may be true or may be the case, as something concerning which one has no knowledge to the contrary." The mouth spoke from the videoscreen, but with no inflection, unlike what the TARDIS had just said.

He laughed. "Yes, it's fun to play dictionary. But please stop joking around. How did you get in there?"

"Does not compute."

"Well, obviously my TARDIS had something to do with it. Answer me, Michelle. You've got to have some clue."

She stared flatly, but sang out, "Don't answer me, don't break the silence, don't let me in... Don't answer me, stay on your island, don't let me win..."

The Doctor fell silent for a moment. "What's your nickname for me?"

"Spaz. Undesired nickname, Spaz, not politically correct or acceptable in United Kingdom. No issues in American culture." Static briefly appeared on the screen. "Not politically correct..."

"Why do you want to travel to the 1980's?"

The image parroted, "Erm...the pop culture, I guess. I love the music and the movies. It was so much...happier then than it is now. Not filled with whiny teenagers and punk bands that pretend to stand for something when all they want is money. I belong there. I want to be happy for a change."

The Doctor balled his hands into fists. "Enough, TARDIS! Let her speak for herself...free her from the computer."

The TARDIS spoke the English language yet again. _**I cannot. The computer is the only thing that is keeping her alive.**_

He shook his head in disbelief. "She's not 'alive', she's a bloody computer program!"

_**She lives in me. I have absorbed her. But only **__**you**__** can resurrect her. Disturb me no longer. I have done my part.**_ There was an audible hum, and then the presence, which always seemed to be in the TARDIS, folded into itself.

The Doctor was alone now, having sunk to his knees, and begging for someone, _anyone_, to talk to him. The pleas went unanswered.

***

**The Present Day**

And that was how it went for several weeks. The Doctor investigated Michelle's essence in the TARDIS computer, and determined she was fused in the network. The painful part was that he could not set her free. So he did everything he could to keep her neural patterns active, by playing music videos she was familiar with on the computer and making her part of them. He would sometimes alter the imagery and place his likeness within it, if only just to let her know that she was near and always in his thoughts.

The day had come when he had to make a choice between hitting the delete key or the "save and file" command, and he simply couldn't do it. It was at this point when he had broken down and cried his eyes out...until he thought of the Lux Industries device. Then, he finally made up his mind.

The TARDIS was not a giant Library, like the data core of the CAL computer, but she could have consciousness this way. And she _would_ have consciousness.

***

He kept an extra communications device from the Library. Strackman Lux had given him one after everyone had been rescued from CAL. Hours later, he had wired it to the modified sonic screwdriver (one of many extras he kept on board), and inserted the contraption into the computer, just underneath the console.

"I can't make that choice of life or death for you, Michelle. Only you can make it." He held his breath, and waited as the system came online.


	20. Everything Your Heart Desires

There was a dimming of the lights in the TARDIS as he flipped the switch, and a soft hum as the lights resumed their full brightness. A figure slowly materialized on the TARDIS platform. It was Michelle Reynolds.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Wakey wakey!"

She stood on the platform, eyes closed as if she was sleeping. Barefoot and clad in a lightweight linen dress, white in color, Michelle was now 100 pounds thinner. Her hair fell to shoulder length in ringlets of reddish-blonde gold.

"Tommy, can you hear me?" he mimicked. "C'mon, I'm sure you can."

In response, Michelle's eyes snapped open, and her hands flew to her throat. A look of extreme panic came over her face.

"Oi, hello, hello! That's pretty good...except for the little breathing thing. Had a good rest then?"

Michelle's face turned a slight shade of purple. Her look of panic was now mixed with obvious anger.

"_Right!_ The breathing thing! So very sorry." The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver at the TARDIS console. "A little bit more memory...and there. Good as new."

Michelle audibly gasped for oxygen, and dropped to her knees. When she had gotten her voice back she chattered randomly, "Kedron...Doctor...Vortex...DoctorDonna!" She looked around frantically. "Donna Noble. DoctorDonna?"

"And a little adjustment on the vocal processors...that should do it."

Finally, Michelle ceased to ramble and stood up. "Prom night, and the end of Earth...Doctor?" She looked at him suspiciously. "What happened? You're not actually telling me I'm still alive?"

This question seemed to fluster the Doctor, who ran his fingers through his hair distractedly. "Yes, well...er, heh. Ha ha. 'So Alive', by Love and Rockets. Great song. I once told Donna that Rose was--"

"So alive, when she asked if Rose trusted you," interrupted Michelle with an automatic precision.

"Yes. And now I suppose I have to ask you the same question." The Doctor's expression was solemn.

Michelle was puzzled. "I'm pretty sure you asked me that, and I already told you."

The Doctor put his hands in his pockets. "That was then, this is now."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Not a thing," he added quickly. "I just want to see what you can remember."

"Well...I grabbed the bomb on the Kedron ship and it went off under me. There was a lot of pain and blood, and you disabled the Kedron vessel. We got back to the TARDIS, and there was a sort of healing blackness that made everything around me disappear. Then...nothing. And I was here."

The Doctor was silent. The music, the simulations, had all been to keep her brain pattern stimulated. She hadn't formed any solid memories during her time in the computer.

Michelle broke into a wide grin. "But that's wonderful! That means I didn't die! I'm safe, and you're safe! Earth survived, and so did I!"

"Technically, yes," mumbled the Doctor.

Her grin faded. "'Technically?' Well, whatever that means, I'm sure there's nothing to stop us now from traveling together some more!"

"What about the 1980's?"

"Oh, that. I don't know so much anymore. I somehow feel liked I've lived through so much vintage music recently...I feel somewhat sick of it. It's weird."

The Doctor again said nothing.

Michelle chose to ignore this and jumped for joy. "Oh, stop being such a cold fish! Let me hug you; I'm so glad to see you!" She started towards him.

The Doctor took a few steps backward, stammering, "P-probably not such a good idea..."

But it was too late. As she moved to place her arms around the Doctor, Michelle passed right through him, grabbing only empty air.

In terror, she shrieked, "_What is this??_" Before he could speak she snapped, "And _don't_ tell me you're sorry! Just tell me the truth!"

The Doctor sighed. "All right. You're...a hologram. A projection. When you died, the TARDIS absorbed your mental essence. I was able to...manifest you, so to speak, by using some technology I had from a previous encounter."

"But...but I can _breathe!_ My heart is beating! I can physically _feel_ the console!" She demonstrated for him.

"That's because you are part of the TARDIS, and vice versa. It's part of the illusion. At some point during your journey with me the two of you were telepathically linked."

Michelle had gone stark white. "No. This can't be happening. You're making this up. A fairy tale story for the benefit of a girl in fairy tale clothes. Did you melt away my pounds with genetically-altered Adipose too?" The TARDIS had infused her with knowledge of the Doctor's history, which could now be brought up with lightning-fast recall.

"Don't be ridiculous. You appear the way you do because this is your idea of what people look like in the Earth version of Heaven. Angels and all that."

"So there's no _afterlife_ either???"

"That's not the point right now, and I could extrapolate for hours about theories of what happens after human death, so..."

"So what _is_ the point then? Why did you bring me back? To avoid being lonely?"

"Because it was the right thing to do! I couldn't let you be a virtual vegetable, I had to give you a choice!"

"Can you disconnect me from the system?"

"If...if I did, you would be erased. Permanently gone. Really and truly dead."

"And if I stay...activated?"

"You'll travel with me indefinitely, just as all my companions have done."

"But can I ever leave the TARDIS, or have physical contact with any other beings?"

The Doctor's voice was hoarse. "No. I'm sorry, but I had to tell you the truth. I know that it's a big sacrifice either way."

Michelle was dangerously silent. When she looked at him, her eyes brimmed with tears of rage. "You 'know', huh? What exactly is it that you 'know'? What do you 'get' about being human?"

"I have loved and lost so many times, Michelle..."

Furiously distraught, she screamed at him, "Do you know about those of us who _haven't?_ At least Rose, Martha and Donna were all pretty enough to have relationships with others! What about us _rejects?_"

Michelle began to pace incessantly. "What about us who have no clue of what it was like in the first place? You're just an alien! A creepy old..._thing_ in some young hipster's body, sporting Converse and stupid hair! And then you want me to stay _here_, a permanent play toy for you, while I miss out on all of the important things in life because I have no _choice_ but to be brought to existence with the push of a button! Because of what _you've_ done!"

She tore at her hair in agony, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Well, no more. No more words from you, you emotionless..." And then, with all she'd learned from the TARDIS archives, Michelle uttered a Gallifreyian slur.

The response from the Doctor surprised her. "It's wrong, you know." He turned away, clearly brokenhearted, and his shoulders began to shake. "I feel _everything._ You have no idea how long it's been."

"Stop it. Shut up and quit crying." She softened. "Aliens don't cry. Especially not over something like this."

"Maybe not, but Time Lords do." Tears streamed down the Doctor's face.

Michelle felt embarrassed. "You're acting like a pussy."

"I'm 900 years old! I've earned myself a few bouts of weeping now and again." He smiled through his tears. "I had...if you planned to stay 'alive', I finally had someone to share it with. I don't usually have that luxury. I can't tell anyone human; they always go away in the end."

"Share what?" she asked carefully.

"The _lura._ It's...it's Gallifreyian for love of the spirit and soul. That's the only way I can translate it, I'm afraid. I wouldn't call it 'love' as humans know it exactly...it's more than that."

He looked at Michelle urgently. "If I gave you a sense of the _lura_, would you remain here?"

Michelle did not answer at first. "But..." she said finally. "You might get sick of me. You might laugh. You could delete me or something. Or be nasty to me. It's...I don't know..."

The Doctor laughed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "It's not what you think. Just a chance to break free from my demons. Show you I'm a feeling man. That my companions...that _you_...are a part of me."

She still looked doubtful as he told her gently, "Please. I'll never leave you cold inside."

He winced as Michelle snapped, "Oh, _please_! You can't use something so cheeseball on me, you know. That was a lousy pick-up line."

"Okay, okay, you're right, it sounded bad," admitted the Doctor. "It's not a pick-up line. It is...a chance to grow. An offer. That's all."

Michelle's cheeks went crimson. "I...I suppose." The statement sent a little shiver down her spine. The programming was effective, that was certain.

"On one condition..." The Doctor was serious now. "After this...we will never speak of it again. And you have to promise me that you will never, _ever_ ask me if I love you. Do you swear?"

She nodded vigorously. "I promise." With the two little words, the Doctor began to relax. It would be done.


End file.
